


The Road Trip

by AllThingsGeeky



Category: Captain America (Movies), Iron Man (Movies), Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bedwetting Mention, Desperation, Good ol’ fashioned car Omo, Omorashi, Peeing in things that aren’t a toilet, Sickfic (elements), Tony Stark acting as Peter Parker’s parental figure, Vomit Mention, bladder infections, car omorashi, male omorashi, partial wetting
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-07
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-07 06:34:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 51,429
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26348674
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllThingsGeeky/pseuds/AllThingsGeeky
Summary: Tony finally managed to bag himself an easy road trip with his two favourite people. With only Peter and Steve in the car he figured it would be a straight forward journey, only he hadn’t accounted for the number of bathroom breaks the pair would need..
Relationships: Implied Stony
Comments: 118
Kudos: 142





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I promised this fic to ‘I am Inevitable’ AGES ago and finally got around to writing it- hope this is okay! :)

“Hey, Mr. Stark? Were we gonna stop anytime soon?”

“Yeah, I was gonna stop at around 12 for lunch. You hungry?” 

“Uh huh.” Peter nodded. That wasn’t the issue at hand but he was actually hungry too. It was already eleven thirty so Peter figured he could kill two birds with one stone then. It was his first road trip with anyone besides just Tony and whilst it was only Steve, who he was close with already, he was still a little shy voicing his other need. Since Tony was planning to stop so soon anyway it wasn’t like he needed to. 

“I think there’s some snacks in my bag if you wanna have a rummage, pal.” Steve said kindly, and Peter said a quick thank you before diving in and divvying out said snacks. They were healthy, because of course they were, but Peter didn’t complain and for once neither did Tony. After the food issue was resolved Steve very quietly added. “And I wouldn’t mind a break either.” 

“You gotta pee?” Tony asked bluntly, not thinking anything of it. 

“A little.” Steve tried to say casually but his throat was audibly tight and his cheeks pinkened; it was clear he hadn’t wanted to say anything, but maybe the half an hour break wasn’t too reasonable. Tony knew better than to tease, knowing Steve was sensitive on the subject at times but he couldn’t help it. A sly smirk crossed the genius’ face before he attempted to look innocent again. 

“I told you to go before we left.” He said in a sing song voice, watching gleefully as Steve’s face reddened to match the stripes on his uniform. 

“I did, thank you very much.” Steve huffed, still trying to remain cool but it was painfully obvious how flustered he was getting. 

“We only left an hour and a half ago-“

“I’m well aware of that. I can’t exactly time it, Tony.” Steve blushed brightly this time, clipping his words shortly, still trying his best not to appear agitated but ultimately failing. The whole time Tony was subtly smirking in a way that wouldn’t be noticeable to anyone else but Steve  _ knew  _ better. 

“Don’t get snippy just because you need a potty break.” Tony said lightly and added earnestly despite his teasing; “I’ll stop as soon as I can.” 

Peter wanted to pipe up that he had to go too but Tony had teased Steve and it made him scared the man would do the same to him; even though he never had before. He just never thought Tony would poke fun at someone needing a bathroom break in general especially when he knew the subject made Peter incredibly anxious; though this was Steve they were talking about. Tony lived to pick on the man’s every word, it was one of his favourite pastimes. 

But still, Peter didn’t say anything; Tony had promised to stop as soon as he could so there was no need to. He stuck to squirming periodically and ignoring the water bottle that sloshed in the cup holder. 

Apparently Steve felt the same way about the teasing liquid. Every time Tony drove over a bump the blond cringed, eventually growing sick of it and shoving the bottle into the glove box. 

“That was mine.” Tony frowned but Steve ultimately ignored him. Even Tony knew when enough was enough and didn’t press the issue, instead he just turned the radio up slightly and started humming to himself to pass the time. 

And time did pass-  _ agonisingly slowly,  _ at least for the two superhumans with super full bladders who were both trying desperately not to let the others in their company know how bad their situation was becoming. Steve had the added responsibility of staying deathly still since he was sitting right next to Tony; where as Peter had the luxury of periodically wiggling when he had to. Not a lot, since Tony was still checking on him in the rear view mirror every so often as he usually did, but whenever the coast was clear Peter could squirm to his hearts content. And since Tony didn’t know that he had to go he wasn’t glancing at him too often, but the same couldn’t be said for poor Steve. 

The blond was trying his hardest not to cause a fuss. He felt guilty enough about asking Tony to stop anyway, and he had to admit a little embarrassed. He knew he ought not to be, he was the one that always encouraged others to speak up when they had to- especially their youngest teammate. But that was the problem. Part of him still didn’t want Peter to see him in any kind of compromising position, which he understood was normal but he couldn’t help but feel like a hypocrite. He just hoped that if the kid saw him being open about needing the bathroom that the younger man would follow suit and not be too embarrassed later. 

But what Steve was embarrassed about was how  _ bad  _ it was getting. He didn’t just want to ask for a break for the sake of comfort he  _ needed to _ . Like, really needed to. After voicing his need and a toilet not magically appearing right before him his desperation had increased tenfold. “Tony can you take this next exit?”

“How come?” The dark haired man asked. By this point he wasn’t teasing anymore, he was genuinely confused. He was on route for the nearest rest area, it wasn’t as though he’d passed one- had he? 

“I really need to use the restroom.” Steve muttered tightly. 

Tony didn’t tease this time. He knew if Steve felt the need to voice it again, especially with Peter in the car, he must’ve really needed to go. Which concerned him greatly considering it had only been around ten minutes since he’d requested a break the first time; but then he remembered Steve had drank some tea before they left early that morning in an attempt to wake up. Tony sighed and silently kicked himself for not having stopped the man from doing so- but his sigh was misinterpreted by the blond as annoyance. “There’ll be traffic that way, this ways quicker.” 

“I don’t care, it’s closer.” 

Tony looked like he was about to argue but by this point Peter was bordering on desperate too and he wanted the closest toilet possible. That and it was nearing 12, Tony said they’d stop by then yet here they were without a rest stop in sight. “Uh Mr. Stark I gotta go too..”

Tony’s eyes widened and he glanced back at Peter in the mirror. Sure enough his kid had his ankles crossed and he was scrunching his nose up and biting his lip.  _ Crap.  _ Though both of his passengers had a- ahem-  _ bit of a history  _ with suddenly needing to need to use the bathroom _ urgently,  _ he was immediately more worried about their youngest. Especially since Steve would at least verbalise, whereas Peter nearly always left it until the last minute; which seemed to be the case now. “Why didn’t you say earlier, kid?”

“I was gonna but I..I don’t know, I’m sorry.” Peter trailed off, nervously twiddling with the cuffs on his hoodie. Had it just been Tony in the car he would have mentioned it. He was slowly getting over telling Tony when he needed something after all the various comedic and traumatising situations they’d been in together- but with Steve in the car Peter was sure he wouldn’t have been able to find the words had the other man not been so open about having to go too. Still, that didn’t quell the blush rising to his cheeks when Tony reprimanded him on his step back. “I should’ve, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay don’t apologise, I’ll take the exit.” Tony said quickly, not wanting to discourage the boy from speaking up. Part of him was happy that Peter had found the words to do so, lord knows how often he’d struggled to do that for the longest time, even when it was just them in the car; but the other part of him knew that was a bad sign. For Peter to admit with Steve in the car that he had to go, he had to  _ go.  _ Which meant Tony didn’t have a lot of time to find somewhere appropriate (or what the kid deemed appropriate- which was a whole other kettle of fish) for his super people to pee. “It’s about twenty miles, can you wait that long?” 

Peter nodded embarrassed by the question- but Tony wasn’t being unfair by asking; Peter usually left it until the very last second to tell him so he was used to having to pull over suddenly, which he wouldn’t hesitate to do if either of his passengers needed him to. 

But of course, despite both Peter and Steve’s best efforts at controlling their situation, they ran into a hurdle. One Tony had predicted. 

“Oh come on.” Steve whined under his breath, looking at the sea of cars stuck stationary, bumper to bumper in front of them. Peter had never seen him get so het up but frankly he was happy it wasn’t just him for once. Though he and his bladder felt the utmost empathy, and he hoped Steve felt better, he couldn’t help but feel happy that someone else could share in his pain. Usually it was just him and Tony, the man who never seemed to need food, water or sleep, let alone a pee break, and him needing all of the above constantly.

“I told you.” Tony said quietly and not in the teasing way he had before, but Steve still turned to him, eyes blaring. 

“Yes I know- thanks for that Tony, an ‘I told you so’ is really helpful right now.” 

“I’m just saying- don’t get snappy with me Steve it’s not my fault.” Tony pouted. He’d been trying to be sympathetic but apparently that backfired. He still had to work on that.

“I know I’m sorry I’m just really uncomfortable right now.” Steve sighed apologetically. He knew it wasn’t Tony's fault but describing the feeling in his abdomen as uncomfortable was a vast understatement. It wasn’t uncomfortable, it was down right  _ urgent.  _ It had been a while since he’d gotten into such a situation-at least outside of the field- and he couldn’t help but feel his face flushing with embarrassment. He also couldn’t help the urge to try and cover up just what it was. “It’s hot and I want out of the car.” 

_ ‘Sure  _ that’s _ why you’re grumpy.’ _ Tony rolled his eyes; but for the sake of the other man’s pride he chose to ignore the blond pouting and tensing his thighs. It must’ve been bad for him to be showing such outwards signs of needing to go and he wasn’t about to be an asshole about it. Steve was probably embarrassed since Peter was there and Tony sighed; he knew had it just been him alone with either one he could’ve accommodated their desperation by dumping out the abandoned water bottle in the glove box and plugging his ears- not that either would take kindly to the idea but at this point he knew they would both do it had they been alone. 

Since he couldn’t do anything to comfort the blond when he was in such a mood, Tony turned his attention back to Peter, who he noticed had fallen deathly silent in the backseat. Before he’d been letting out little involuntary whines and sighs but now he was completely quiet- which with Mr. Motormouth was quite concerning. “How you holding up, kiddo?”

“I’m..I'm okay..are we almost there though?” Peter said unsurely, and Tony watched him twisting in his seat in the mirror. He could tell he had to go badly, he’d seen it enough times before. 

“Almost. I’d say another fifteen minutes max.” Tony said quietly. He already knew just looking at the kid that that would be too long and in all honesty he had no idea with the traffic how it was. It could’ve easily taken much longer than that and the kid looked worse for wear. Tony sighed feeling utterly useless. “If there weren’t so many cars around I’d let you hop out and walk, or go in the bushes.”

“I know- b-but I couldn’t do that anyway.” Peter said rushedly, embarrassed by the thought. But as embarrassed as he was he couldn’t ignore when his bladder decided to painfully contract, forcing a leak and dampening his underwear. “I gotta go really bad..”

“I know buddy, we’re almost there, you can make it.” Tony grimaced sympathetically; despite his encouragement he was getting increasingly worried that Peter couldn’t in fact make it- and to add to the worry Steve suddenly lurched forward too. Tony didn’t fail to notice where the blond’s hand crept before he covered himself. “You okay?” 

“I’m fine.” Steve said a little too quickly as he sat back up, bolt upright. He was trying his best to emulate normal behaviour but Tony saw that his crotch was slightly damp. Not that he-uh, heh, not that that he was looking. 

“Man, you guys are making  _ me _ need to piss.” The brunette shook his head with a laugh making the other two passengers scowl at him. 

“Can you just- stop talking please?” Steve growled through gritted teeth. Even when Steve was mad he was polite. Another five minutes and the soldier was crossing his legs tighter than what looked comfortable; slipping a hand between his thighs, trapping it there. Though he wasn’t holding himself it was clear he really wanted to and Peter wasn’t far behind; having taken his jacket off to cover his lap with and Tony severely hoped he was doing so to cover up that he was grabbing himself, not that he’d lost it. No, the kid wasn’t crying, okay, they still had time. Admittedly not a lot of time but hopefully long enough that Tony could get the kid somewhere without him completely disgracing himself. God knows that if that happened Peter would never look Steve in the eye again. 

The car was filled with a tense silence as they slowly crept forward; but the silence only lasted so long. Peter had to break it. He had to warn the adults that they’d be needing to find him a change of clothes soon. 

“Tony I-I don’t think I can hold it anymore..” Peter whispered brokenly, speaking so quietly Tony could barely hear him, but Steve did and he looked over at the driver looking so upset for the kid. Whilst Steve felt like he  _ could _ wet himself he knew that he wouldn’t. It would hurt, it would suck, his underwear might not make it, but he knew he wouldn’t lose it completely. But the same couldn’t be said for their smallest occupant, who looked as though he was close to tears. “I’m really sorry but I- but I can’t..”

“Buddy, would you be able to go in the bottle if we plugged our ears?” Steve asked gently. He knew Peter was extremely pee shy after all the times the kid had made them late waiting for a stall to open up because he wouldn’t use a urinal (not that he blamed him at all- the only reason he’d gotten used to using urinals was being in the army and he still preferred the more private setting). That and despite having been on a lot of road trips together this was the first time he’d ever heard Peter openly talk about needing the restroom; even after all the times he’d- well let’s not talk about that. So Steve knew he must’ve been desperate, maybe even more than he was. 

“I-I dont- I don’t know but that’s not fair Steve, you gotta go too.” Peter muttered, a desperate look painted across his face; the poor kid looked like he was about to burst and both adults knew if Peter didn’t outright refuse he must be about to lose it. Usually Peter would have adamantly said no from the get go- but he was genuinely considering the offer. 

“P, worst case it’s a bottle, he can reuse it.” Tony shrugged, making Peter and Steve wrinkle their noses disgustedly. 

_ “Ew!” _ The pair said in tandem between squirming. 

“What? Oh come on! You both go on at me about recycling- reuse, reduce, recycle.” Tony laughed though he promptly shut his mouth when Steve gave him a glare. 

“I can wait, really kiddo you look like you’re dying.” Steve said turning back to Peter and trying his best to be reassuring. Very reluctantly Peter gave a short nod, prompting Steve to retrieve the half full bottle out of the glove box- but then he grimaced; the liquid rolling back and forth, sounding deafeningly loud to his heightened senses, made his bladder pulse violently and he had to snake a hand between his thighs again to stop from leaking. “Tony can you uhm..?”

He was clearly embarrassed to ask but if he had to spill the water out himself Steve was gonna end up losing it; so Tony took the bottle from his hands and opened the window, warning them before dumping it out onto the asphalt below. “Plug your ears, kids.” 

“I resent that.” Steve grumbled, only uncovering his ears once the coast was clear and the bottle was empty. 

“Fine next time I won’t tell you to plug your ears, see how you like sitting in a puddle.” Tony smiled sweetly in a sing-song voice that made Steve want to punch him. 

“Can you- can you plug your ears again please? B-both of you?” Peter piped up from the back, eagerly snatching the bottle from Tony's hand when the adult forgot to pass it to him. Both men obliged quickly, Tony using his elbows to steer. Not that it was really an issue because they were still practically stationary, it wasn’t like he had to do any complex maneuvers. 

However, Peter was trying to do complex maneuvers of his own, as quickly as possible. As soon as he reached forward and grabbed the bottle he realised he should’ve undone his seat belt first because it dug straight into his bladder and he almost lost it; the sudden sharp pressure causing a strong leak to gush into his underwear and making him whimper. Once he’d recovered the last bit of control he had, he then had to wiggle out of his belt, pants and underwear, get the bottle in place all whilst keeping himself covered with the jacket and he tried his best to face away from the adults in the front of the car. It was a difficult feat to accomplish in the ten seconds his bladder allowed him before it forcefully started to release. “Oh  _ no no no no- no!”  _

Of course plugging their ears did nothing, it was just to make Peter feel better and both adults heard what sounded like the beginning of an accident. They shared a worried look- but then they were relieved to hear Peter- well, relieving himself and shared another look; before Steve grimaced and this time openly grabbed himself. Whilst Peter was distracted Tony took the opportunity to grip the other man’s thigh for a second to show support, all the while Steve was desperately gripping himself. 

“I-uh..I’m done..” Peter said after twenty seconds of hard peeing had left his bladder blissfully empty (and admittedly his underwear a little bit wet). But rather than relishing in the relief and the fact that he’d managed to avoid a total accident he was flooded with remorse and humiliation. “Oh god I’m so sorry- I’m really sorry I should’ve have- oh gosh I’m sorry-“

“Kid what’re you apologising for, it's okay.” Tony shook his head as he tossed back some hand sanitizer he kept in the glove box for the kid to use; which he’d had to retrieve himself as Steve was rather busy using all of his muscle control to keep his bladder in check. Now that Peter was no longer distracted Steve had pried his hands away and was relying on sheer kegel strength alone- strength that was quickly failing. Of all the muscles that he spent so long training in the gym that was one group he had yet to tackle. 

“I shouldn’t have done that while Steve still has to- I’m really sorry.” Peter continued to apologise. From where he was seated he couldn’t see Steve’s legs but he could see how the man’s face was turning an increasingly bright shade of red and- god he felt awful. The man had a similar metabolism to him  _ and,  _ Peter realised with a blush of his own, similar superhearing. Both of which weren’t quite as strong as his own but  _ come on,  _ that must have been torturous listening to Peter go when he couldn’t. The teen certainly knew he wouldn’t be able to hold it if he’d heard someone else peeing not even a foot away from him. 

“Kiddo it’s okay I promise.” Steve said kindly though his face was bright red, he’d regained some composure; managing to sit upright with his thighs ‘subtly’ pressed together. But Tony saw the wet spot on his thigh had grown. “I’m glad you feel better.”

The fifteen minutes Tony had estimated hadn’t been  _ too far off _ \- but it was far too long for Steve’s liking. The rest of the short ride to the gas station was deathly silent (especially in the back of the car since Peter was  _ mortified) _ , the only sounds being the short puffs of air Steve let out occasionally when his abdominal muscles squeezed and the quiet rustling of fabric rubbing together as the man was forced to squirm. No matter what he did as soon as the rest stop came into view Steve’s bladder got over excited and started rhythmically pulsing with anticipation; like it knew relief was only a few yards away- but that had nothing to do with the time it took to get there, that’s what Steve couldn’t seem to get his bladder to understand. They were still moving at a slow, tantalising, mind numbingly slow snail pace, barely creeping along the road and it got to the point where Steve just couldn’t take it anymore. He had to get out. 

“I’m sorry but I need to- I can’t.” He managed to squeak out, mirroring Peter's words less than half an hour before. He pulled on a baseball cap as he announced his departure; as though that would do much to disguise his identity. Before Tony had the chance to respond Steve was opening the door and squeezing himself through the small gap. They were in the middle lane, Tony having put his indicator on to hopefully get over to the lane that would lead to the gas station, which meant they were densely packed with cars on either side of them- but that didn’t stop Steve. He somehow managed to slip his large frame out of the car, before dipping in and out of the cars in front of them, making a manic bee line to the gas station quicker than Tony could say ‘Steve stop that’s dangerous’; which in all honesty he wasn’t going to bother saying anyway- Steve was perfectly able to assess the dangers that came with crossing the road and the cars were all stationary. 

Tony was much more concerned with the velocity in which the man was running; both because it was far too fast for a normal man and people were bound to notice, drawing attention to himself and his situation, but also for Steve to have thrown himself out of the car and running that fast he must’ve been desperate. Potentially desperate enough not to make it. Again, Tony had seen it enough times before. 

“Uhm, Tony?”

Blinking to himself Tony had almost completely forgotten Peter was in the car with how silent the boy was being. “What is it bud?”

“Is Steve gonna make it?” The boy asked, his voice laced with concern as he stared out of the window after his older team mate, wincing sympathetically. 

Tony didn’t have an exact answer for that, though based on the evidence laid out in front of him he was pretty sure the answer was a resounding no. Still, a man could hope and Tony had his fingers crossed. “Who knows.”

Steve certainly didn’t know. In fact the closer he got to the bathroom the more certain he got that he wasn’t going to make it. Each step he took sent a thundering wave of desperation through him as his bladder pounded, forcing a small steady stream out of him. But he had to make it, this was ridiculous, he was too old for this- it had been  _ ages  _ since this had happened in such a mundane way (missions and calls don’t count, right? And neither did that time Nat insisted on an hour long shower..) and he intended to keep that dry streak going. And he definitely,  _ definitely  _ didn’t want to have an accident on a road trip with their youngest avenger present. No. That was too mortifying. Even though he knew Peter wouldn’t make fun of him, he’d never look at him the same way- Steve was the sensible one, he made sure other people went to the bathroom regularly, he wasn’t the one who was meant to get into these situations! Stupid metabolism, stupid  _ tea.  _ He vowed in that moment never to drink tea again before he realised that he really shouldn’t be thinking about liquid right now. 

Just twenty steps more, fifteen if Steve could bring himself to pry his thighs apart a little more. The gas station was  _ right there  _ he could make it, he could totally make it- but wait. What if- what if he needed a key to get into the- no okay he could see the door now, and some guy was coming out. It was a multi stall bathroom- perfect! Well, not perfect, it would probably be really gross but  _ oh  _ Steve didn’t care. For once he didn’t care if it was the filthiest bathroom he’d ever seen he was going straight into the first stall he came across and piss his brains out. 

The last few steps were horrendous, large leaks dribbling out with newfound ferocity once Steve clocked eyes on the toilet peeking through the crack in the stall door. He undid his belt and pants before he was even fully inside the bathroom, dashing into the stall and pulling his underwear down just in time to-

_ Ahhh, thank god.  _

He’d made it. Barely but- oh god that was almost a disaster. Finally able to relax now he was relieving himself in an appropriate receptacle Steve didn’t allow his mind to wander to the embarrassing predicament and he’d just been in. No, he took the half a minute or so it took to fully empty his bladder to relish in the satisfying deflating feeling, along with the euphoria that came immediately after. Only when his bladder was fully empty did he start to panic. 

Oh. He hadn’t  _ quite _ made it. There was only a quarter sized patch on his jeans that he’d be able to quickly brush off as splashing water on himself from the sink (the perks of being tall) but his underwear was absolutely soaked. There was no way he wanted to sit in wet boxers for the remainder of their journey and going commando didn’t seem particularly comfortable either. Now what was he gonna do?

  
  


“Wait here.” Tony instructed as he locked the car doors behind him, making sure Peter was secure in the backseat before he started pumping the gas. Of course, the first thing he wanted to do when he got to the gas station was rush in to see if Steve was alright; but he didn’t want Peter to know how worried he was. Though it was a very obvious worry that Steve had pissed himself considering the condition he’d been in when he bolted from the car, Tony didn’t want Peter to think he thought that was a possibility. Though judging by the fact Steve had yet to emerge despite getting to the rest stop ten minutes before they did, it was a strong possibility that he had. 

Still Tony waited until after he’d pumped the gas and paid for it at the pump before venturing into the bathroom himself to find the blond. Checking that only one stall was occupied Tony quickly locked the entrance to the bathroom and called out for the soldier to answer him. “Stevie?”

“Uh..Ton?” The man replied sheepishly from behind the locked door. He sounded upset which made Tony’s shoulders drop. 

Cautiously he approached the door and spoke in the quiet soft voice he reserved for very special occasions (such as when one of his people pissed themselves for example, which happened more than one may think). “Did you not make it?”

“I did!” Steve said quickly, his voice just a little higher than usual. “Mostly..can you just-“

“Just undies or pants too?” Tony asked, already knowing where this was going. 

“Just underwear please.” Steve sighed; as appreciative as he was for the man’s help he couldn’t help but be frustrated by the babyish language. 

“I’ll be right back.” Tony said. He quickly made his way back to the car to grab what the other man needed; making a mental note to grab some baby wipes or something similar from the gas station before he went back in. 

Peter had swiveled around in his seat and took the opportunity to talk to Tony through the gaps in the seat when the man opened the trunk. “Did he not make it..?”

“No bud he did, he just wanted his wallet. Apparently him paying for gas is a big deal even though I pay his wages.” Tony lied smoothly. And Peter looked incredibly relieved which in turn made Tony smile. It was nice to see the two caring so much about each other especially when he’d spent so long worrying about them meeting. But his two worlds colliding had been one of the best things ever- despite, as he was now realising, that meant twice as many potty breaks he wouldn’t change it. 

Though Steve needed to change pretty badly so Tony rushed back, bought some baby wipes in the gas station when paying for their petrol- which Steve was very grateful for. And when they got back in the car Tony handed them to Peter and claimed it was so he wouldn’t leave greasy fingerprints everywhere when they got food. 

Which luckily they did pretty soon after they got back on the road because Peter was  _ starving.  _ Steve neglected to get anything but in fairness he’d been a little quiet since he’d gotten back in the car. Peter was surprised that Tony didn’t force him to get something, but instead he didn’t press the issue when Steve politely declined. 

After he’d eaten Peter had another bodily function that started to demand attention- he was tired. As embarrassed as he was to admit it, naps were a staple in his routine since his metabolism and executive dysfunction had a habit of making him exert far too much energy. So once he’d binged himself on cheeseburgers his eyes started to droop and his head slumped towards the window when he accidentally nodded off for a second.

Steve chuckled when the teenager was rubbing the now sore spot on his head. “You can nap, little guy, you look beat.” 

“I’m fine.” Peter tried to claim, as he really didn’t want to be called ‘little guy’. But it was getting to around the time he usually took a nap anyway and he was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

“Yeah now that you’ve been fed, watered and you’ve peed you’re ready for a nap huh?” Tony half teased half suggested. The kid always took naps because his body went a million miles and hour and after all the excitement no wonder the kid was exhausted. 

“Heyyyy.” Peter whined rather than giving Tony an indignant glare, only making the man chuckle more. 

“Okay now I  _ know _ you’re tired.” Tony rolled his eyes, ignoring the whining and gesturing to his other passenger instead. “Steve in the tray under your seat, there’s his blanket, can you grab it.”

Steve did as instructed, handing the remarkably soft blue material to the pouting teenager in the back. “Here buddy.” 

“But I’m not tired!” Peter huffed right before yawning again. 

“That’s fine bud, you don’t have to sleep- but it is getting pretty cold ain’t it? I’m gonna put my hoodie back on too, it’s okay.” Steve bargained. He wasn’t wrong, Tony was blasting their aircon. Admittedly Steve was a little  _ sensitive  _ to being cold anyways- but Tony insisted he had to keep his icy heart at a cold temperature to keep it refrigerated, so he was often left shivering. 

The bargaining worked. No sooner than Peter had draped the blanket over himself he was out like a light; face pressed against the window and curled up in his seat, clearly having experience with the best position to sleep in a car. Steve thought it was adorable. But what he found more adorable was just how prepared Tony had been.

“So.. he’s got his own blanket huh?”

“Shut up.” Tony said automatically, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter than what was necessary. 

“No no I think it’s sweet!”

“You’re jealous because you don’t have your own designated blankie.” Tony growled under his breath, hoping the conversation would be left there. 

“Yes, yes I am.” Steve nodded honestly. He waited a moment before gently tacking on.“You’re very sweet with him.”

“Shut up Steve.” Tony said with a bit more ferocity. He didn’t particularly favour people commenting on his relationship with the kid he’d basically adopted; even Steve. Hence why no one else tended to travel with him and the boy. 

“Tony it’s just us.” Steve said gently, trying to get the other man to lower his defences a little. “And I’m not trying to tease you, you know I never would. I’m being serious.”

“I know.” Tony said with a small sigh. He was still rather wound up tight about being affectionate. Years with his father and hiding everything from his team hardened him but he could never hide things from Steve. After all it wasn’t only Peter who had gotten to see the man’s more caregiving side. Still, he didn’t particularly want to have a conversation about it. “Are you alright after earlier?”

Now it was Steve’s turn to look uncomfortable. His cheeks pinkened. “I’m a little embarrassed..did he say anything when you..you know?”

“No, he just asked if you were alright.” Tony said honestly. He thought it was cute how flustered Steve was over what the kid thought; like Peter ever thought ill of anyone. “He’d never think any less of you, Steve, he adores you. I think he was just happy to see it’s not just him who gets into situations like that, that other superhero’s have human needs too.”

“Well you are rather intimidating with your abilities not to eat, drink, pee or sleep for hours on end.”

“Why thank you, hun.” Tony chuckled, not thinking anything of his use of language but Steve instantly stiffened. 

“ _ Tony!”  _ Steve hissed. 

“He’s out, I ain’t worried. Kid sleeps like the dead.” Tony shrugged with another light laugh. “Just keep an eye on him for me. If he starts shifting or if he makes a face, wake him up.” 

Steve looked at him quizzically and Tony debated telling him the truth; that Peter still had accidents occasionally. Usually only when his sleeping schedule was disrupted or he was in an unfamiliar location- such as a car- but it was still a prevalent enough issue that Tony considered mentioning it so Steve wouldn’t know what to look out for. But he hesitated. 

It wasn’t as though he thought Steve would judge, considering he was in the same boat with his nightmares- but he hadn’t told Peter that either because it wasn’t his business to tell. He’d never break either of their trust like that, not when it was so hard to get in the first place. But maybe after today and they saw how similar they were regarding their toilet habits he might tell them...but not right now. So he told Steve a half truth. “Nightmares.”

“Oh the poor baby.” Steve fretted and turned in his seat to tuck the blanket around Peter a little tighter. Tony smiled at the scene, though he was quick to pretend the motherly action irked him when in reality it was the total opposite. 

A while later Steve yawned a few times consecutively too and Tony turned to him. “You can sleep too, you know.”

But Steve waved him off. “That’s unfair on you.”

“I’m fully charged with caffeine and Def Leppard, I’ll be fine. I don’t need you to stay up and entertain me.” Tony chuckled before his smirk turned devious. “Well we can’t do any of that with kiddo in the car anyway-“

“Tony, don't be gross!” Steve whisper yelled, face reddening again as he glanced back at Peter, who was still slumped in the position he’d been in earlier. 

“What? I’m saying we  _ can’t.” _ Tony said defensively, resisting the urge to laugh since he didn’t want to piss Steve off any more. Instead he took a more gentle approach, gently rubbing the other man’s arm. “Honestly Stevie, just close your eyes for a bit, hm? Can’t have you being grumpy later.” 

Though Steve’s grumpy was like a bunny rabbit Tony didn’t want him to be uncomfortable. But also knew he was worried about the same thing he was worried about for Peter. “Go on. I’ll wake you up if I need to, I’ve got you don’t worry.” 

Steve relaxed and soon the car was filled with a chorus of soft snores and the occasional mumble from Peter. Tony finally relaxed too now that both of his super people were comfortable and content; though he was mindful of how long that would last, he relished in the momentary calm. He just hoped that by the time they both woke up, he’d have a bathroom readily available to them, because god knows how bad they were when they first woke up. Especially Peter. 

So Tony kept an eye on them and an eye on the road, and both ears on the radio for good measure. 


	2. Chapter 2

They drove for a while in relative peace. Between Peter muttering, Steve snoring and the radio, Tony had an abundance of things to focus on to try and keep himself occupied. He was always one to enjoy his own company, but being tasked with keeping his eyes on the road and both of his passengers was rather daunting, even for the king of multitasking. Thankfully he was on his A-game that afternoon, and he noticed Peter pulling a weird face almost as soon as he’d started scrunching his nose up. 

Tony turned the radio down and whispered towards the back of the car, trying to wake Peter but leave Steve sleeping. “Bud? Hey, Pete, hey, you okay?” 

“Mmmynn no May I didn’t eat them, Ned did.” Peter murmured and tried to roll away from the noise. Only there wasn’t anywhere to roll and he ended up banging his head on the window with a loud bonk. Well that was one way to wake him up. 

“That’s good to know, kid. You alright?” Tony asked, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice, as Peter sat up. He carefully watched in the rear view mirror to see if it was just weird dream time or if it was pee time. 

Just weird dream time, surprisingly. Even though he’d just woken up Peter didn’t immediately announce (verbally or otherwise) a need to pee. Still Tony wanted to ask to make sure as he’d planned to stop anyway. “I’m stopping in a second buddy, you gotta go?”

“Uh uh.” Peter shook his head, rubbing the sore spot the window had left. 

Tony squinted, not quite believing him. “You sure?”

“Uh huh.” Peter nodded earnestly. 

The revelation made Tony realise the kid must be seriously dehydrated. It had been a couple hours since their last emergency and he hadn’t seen the boy drink anything since they picked him up that morning. The soda he’d gotten with lunch was still sitting in the cup holder untouched; which he assumed was deliberate. Tony couldn’t say he blamed the kid for watching his fluid intake what with the discrepancy that morning, let alone his  _ other  _ problem, but it was still concerning. Fast metabolisms meant faster problems, and Tony really didn’t feel like dealing with any passing out on this trip. 

Despite not needing to go, Peter was surprised when Tony pulled into the small gas station anyway. They didn’t need gas and the man made no moves to get out of the car himself before he turned to look at him. “Go on kid.”

“But I don’t need to.” Peter said, clearly confused. 

“It won’t hurt to try. I’m getting you something to drink, no arguments.” Tony said flippantly, waving Peter off dismissively before he could attempt to protest as he moved to exit the car. 

“But Tony-“

The man cut him off. “Ehbebep- Shh. No arguments. Try and pee and then you can talk to me.” 

Peter jumped out of the car to follow his mentor inside, even though he didn’t plan on trying to use the restroom. “I know I’m dehydrated but I don’t think now is the best time to, you know, rehydrate..”. 

“Kid, I will stop the second you have to go you know that.” Tony said with a small sigh, realising that the fluid restricting had been deliberate. Part of him had hoped the kid had just forgotten to drink like he tended to do when he was distracted, but sadly not. Still, what better time to help him break the habit when they were sharing the car with the other hypermetabolic man. “You can’t just not drink, you’re gonna make yourself sick.”

Peter shuffled uncomfortably, staring at his feet. “I know..but I’m already embarrassed about earlier and I don’t want that to happen again..”

“Steve was in the same boat.” 

“Which made it okay- but this time he might not be and- and then he’ll think this happens to me all the time.” Peter stammered, the thought making a blush rise to his cheeks. 

“Which it does.” Tony smirked but instantly regretted it as Peter looked hurt by the comment. “Look, he’s already asleep, he’ll be out for a while. I’ll stop when you wake up to go and pull over. He probably even won’t wake up, it’s not a big deal.”

“It is to me.” Peter mumbled quietly as he followed Tony around the store, not even glancing at the array of beverages the man was buying. 

Tony sighed gently and put a hand on the boy’s shoulder, prompting him for eye contact. “Kid, I know that this is one of your things, I get it, you know I do- but I’m not letting you give yourself another UTI on the account of Steve being there. He’s the one person in the world that would never ever look down on you for it. Ever. Trust me, I know from experience that Steve is the last person who would ever think less of you for needing a pee break, okay?”

Peter nodded though the pep talk did little to calm his nerves. “Did he say anything earlier..?”

“Of course not.” Tony shook his head automatically. “Actually that’s a lie he did say one thing.”

“W-what was that?” Peter asked with wide eyes and rapidly reddening cheeks. 

“‘Did Peter say anything?’” 

Peter frowned slightly. “Of course I didn’t I just wanted to know if he was ok-  _ oh.” _

“Exactly.” Tony chuckled gently, watching as Peter yawned again. Part of him had hoped his ward had had enough sleep as he was getting a bit bored alone in the car but on second thought he’d much rather the boy get his rest. Mostly because he needed it but also it would hopefully avoid more stops along the way. “Take a nap nap you, I’ll wake you up in a bit.” 

Peter nodded instead of arguing as he climbed back into the car, pulling his blanket up around his ears again and nestling against the window. Before he closed his eyes he stole a glance at Steve who was still snoring away in the front seat. He bit his lip and wondered if the man would appreciate missing an opportunity to go; though he felt a bit silly thinking that. If he didn’t even need to go surely Steve didn’t either, but it wouldn’t hurt to check right? “Should you wake Steve up to go..? Just in case?”

“No he’s fine.” Tony said with a small smile. He couldn’t help but find it comical and kind of cute that Peter was checking to see if Captain America needed a pee break. Not that that in itself was unjust given earlier events, it was just a novel thought. 

“How do you know?” Peter asked skeptically. 

“How can I tell when to wake you up when you need to piss?” Tony asked with a smirk, watching in the rear view mirror as Peter’s face fell. “Exactly, don’t question me. Sleep.” 

After Tony forced him to drink half a bottle of Gatorade, it was no surprise when the kid woke up an hour later, full to the brim. 

“Hey kid.” Tony said quietly when Peter suddenly sat up. He’d been anticipating the need for a break soon anyway and thankfully they weren’t far from a service station. 

“Hi uhm- Tony I really need to pee, can we, like, stop somewhere real quick.” Peter rushed out all in one breath. 

As if Tony couldn’t already tell he needed to go. No sooner than the boy's eyes opened he was leaning forward in his seat and cementing his thighs together. “Sure I was planning on it. I just wasn’t gonna wake up up till we got there, I know how you get.” 

Peter appreciated the sentiment, it was usually best if there was a bathroom readily available to him when he woke up; but that didn’t exactly help him now. Now he was stuck in a car without a bathroom in sight and the more seconds went by the more aware his bladder became of that fact. “H-how far away is it?”

“Like five, ten minutes.” Tony said, glancing at the GPS to make sure he was giving Peter the correct information. When he didn’t receive a response he glanced back and saw the boy gnawing on his lip, staring anxiously at the road ahead of them, like he was trying to force a rest stop to materialise. “Do you need me to pull over-”

“No, no, that’s fine- ten minutes is fine. I can hold it.” Peter cut off the embarrassing question. He hated that question. He especially hated when the answer was  _ yes.  _ Not thirty seconds later his tummy suddenly clenched, almost forcing a leak out of him and he had to shoot a hand between his legs to keep it at bay. Thankfully he was able to cover the action with his blanket but even the fabric wouldn’t be able to keep him covered for long. “On second thought- I really can’t hold it, c-can you stop please?” 

“Two minutes bud, there’s no cover here.” 

“Can’t I just go by the car?” Peter whined uncharacteristically; usually the boy was terrified of getting caught in such a *ahem* compromising position. He’d usually adamantly avoid going outside, but here he was, practically begging to pee out in broad daylight on an empty stretch of road. 

Tony glanced back over his shoulder with concern, trying to assess the situation. “I don’t want anyone to see you-“

“I don’t wanna pee in your car Mr. Stark, please.” The boy whimpered, suddenly sounding on the edge of tears as he desperately squirmed in his seat for all it was worth. 

Mr. Stark? Shit, the kid was panicking, he never called Tony Mr. Stark while they were alone. Despite his reservations Tony stuck his turn signal on and just prayed the kid could make it until he got to the small patch of trees a way up the road. “Okay, okay calm down.”

“I can’t hold it anymore it’s gonna come out!” 

Stepping on the gas Tony held his breath, and so did Peter, the kid practically folded double in his seat gripping his crotch and tearing off his seatbelt the second Tony slowed to a stop. Before the man could even stick his hazards on, the kid was flinging himself from the car, only hesitating to look back at his mentor to make double sure his actions were okay. “Go Kid, go.” 

Peter didn’t wait to be told twice. He bolted from the car, running towards the small forest, inadvertently slamming the door behind him. 

Unfortunately the sudden noise made Steve wake with a jolt, the blond jumping awake in his seat almost garroting himself on the seatbelt. “Wha?! What’s happening?” He sat forward, rubbing his eyes before he caught sight of the beeline running away from the car. “Is Peter o-“

“Takin’ a leak.” Tony cut him off before he could assume something more worrisome was occurring. 

“Oh.” Steve sat back with a small sigh of relief. Only the motion suddenly made him cringe slightly. His expression only flickered for a second but Tony caught it. 

“You alright?”

“Mhm.”

“Your back?” Tony asked knowingly. He knew the car seats were disastrous on Steve at the best of times due to his height; but a recent spinal injury had only worsened the ache, especially after hours in the car. Even the superhuman was subject to aches and pains and he had been curled up in his seat at an odd angle. 

But Steve tried to brush it off. “I’m fine.”

“Babe.” Tony said somewhat sternly, earning himself a look. 

“Tony be careful he might hear you!” Steve hissed, glancing back at the tree line but thankfully Peter had yet to appear. 

“It got you to listen.” He shrugged nonchalantly before his tone turned more serious. “Don’t be a martyr, you want some of your pain meds?”

“No I need to eat with them, you know that.”

“I do. That’s why I got you this when we stopped.” Tony said as he handed the blond the sandwich and chips he’d bought him at the gas station when he was getting a drink for Peter. 

“Thank you but I’m not-“

“Steven my love, I happen to know that you haven’t eaten in four hours and you gave your last snack pack to pipsqueak over there- and as much as I appreciate you taking care of my kid allow me to take care of you. Eat. So you can take your medicine and you know, not pass out on me again you diabetic fuck.”

Steve rolled his eyes though he smiled fondly. Trust Tony to be so aggressive with his love, he managed to Male the most caring action sound like a threat . He took the food that was being forced into his hands along with the pain pills, and as soon as he opened the package he realised he was ravenous. “I’m not diabetic.”

“Might as well be.” Tony shrugged as he looked distractedly over to where Peter had disappeared. 

“When did you stop?” 

“Not long after you first fell asleep. I didn’t want you to-“ Tony cut himself off, catching the sheepish tone to the blond’s voice. With a sigh he took in Steve’s posture that he’d previously put down to his back aching. “You wanna go too?”

But Steve shook his head, taking another bite of his sandwich. “I’ll wait until you get gas.” 

“You sure?” The other man asked, remaining skeptical as he eyed Steve up and down. 

“It’s not bad, I swear.” It wasn’t that he needed to go desperately. His bladder just didn’t like that it had missed out on an opportunity. That being said if he could wait he’d much rather use an actual bathroom than the great outdoors. 

Speaking of, Tony didn’t have much more of an opportunity to grill his partner because Peter came bounding back; looking a lot more relaxed than when he went. He hopped into the car with a content sigh. “Phew- Sorry about that, I-oh, h-hi Steve.”

“Hey buddy.” Steve smiled lightly when Peter’s expression turned shy again. 

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No it’s okay, I’m not tired anymore anyway-“

“Yes you did. Don’t slam my door.” Tony said grouchily, being grumpier to Peter now Steve was awake. 

“It was an accident!” Peter cried, being less apologetic to Tony since- well it was Tony. 

“Yeah cause you were about to have one- ow!” Tony yelped, dubbing the how sore spot on his arm where Steve had slapped him. 

“Be nice.” The blond said calmly. 

“Don’t hit the driver!”

“ _ Be nice.”  _ Steve said, now with more authority in a voice that would’ve sent a shiver down Tony's spine- had they been alone of course. Now he just blamed the air con. 

“Yeah Mr. Stark, be nice.” Peter grinned from the back. It wasn’t often he had someone to back him up when Tony decided to pick on him, he wondered how the man would like being on the receiving end for once. 

“Me stopping so you didn’t piss your pants was pretty nice-“ Tony grumbled under his breath as he flipped the engine. “Ow! Fuck Steve- Uncle!”

Once Tony stopped being an ass and Steve kept his hands to himself, the trio settled down, once again enjoying a peaceful car ride. If peaceful meant arguing over the choice of music and Tony griping about the kid leaving crumbs in his car. Steve managed to stave off an argument when Peter  _ accidentally  _ kicked Tony's seat after the man had insulted his taste in music; and only once Tony finally admitted they’d taken the wrong turn did he turn on the GPS. In fact it was a good thing Peter had made them stop prematurely anyway, it gave Tony time to realise if he’d gone all the way to the rest stop he’d been aiming for before the kid woke up, they would have missed their turning to get back on the right road. 

All in all it was relatively calm, at least by their standards, and thankfully they’d managed to avoid any more emergencies. By the time Tony got them back going in the right direction, a convenient rest stop came up just as Peter was starting to feel a tingle in his abdomen. 

The only problem was, once he’d hopped out of the car and gone into the restroom- they were absolutely  _ abhorrent.  _ Now he knew he could be a bit of a clean freak, he was the first to admit that; even having grown up in Queens and having to use the gross subway bathrooms nearly everyday, he could still be a little adverse to unkempt stalls. But this? This was another level. No sooner had he stepped foot and seen the clogged toilets, broken stall doors barely hanging on to their hinges and urine soaked floors, he dashed out again. 

But rather than keep the problem to himself for once, he wanted to avoid any more incidents. He’d learned his lesson about not confiding in his mentor sooner, so he quickly shuffled over to the man and tugged on his sleeve. When Tony looked back at him, he gestured for him to move closer so he could whisper in his ear. “They were really gross Mr. Stark, I couldn’t go..” 

“You want me to ask if there an employee bathroom you can use?” Tony asked gently, trying to keep the frustration from sleeping into his voice. He couldn’t blame the boy, after all he was happy he’d actually told him, but it was still worrisome when he physically  _ couldn’t  _ go. They’d been in plenty of situations where the bathroom wasn’t quite up to par and a six hour road trip didn’t seem like the best time for that particular issue of his to pipe up. They weren’t exactly overrun with options, now wasn’t the time for Peter’s bladder to get picky. “Alright, there's another stop in about fifteen miles, can you wait that long?”

Peter nodded. Though he wasn’t exactly sure what fifteen miles was timewise since he couldn’t drive, he was fairly sure based off of Tony’s reaction it was short. If it had been too long Tony wouldn’t have asked. He wasn’t super desperate after his pit stop in the woods either, not to say he wanted a repeat of that. 

“Where’s Steve?” Tony asked, peering around the small store expecting to see the blond pouring over the nutritional information on a bag of Frito’s or something. Peter just shrugged, though when they looked back to the car they could see a familiar figure occupying it. 

“Did you not want anything?” Tony asked when they got back to the car. 

“Nah I’m fine after the sandwich. Nat’s asking for our coordinates, apparently Nick’s on her about us picking up the pace.” Steve muttered distractedly, holding his phone in both hands to text, his tongue sticking out in concentration. The fact that he’d managed to open his phone let alone the message himself made Peter proud. 

“Yeah well Nick can eat my ass, if he wanted us to stick to a schedule he should’ve arranged a flight shouldn’t he?” Tony grumbled snarkily. “Next time he can drive you two, see how far he gets.” 

Steve ignored the comment, gesturing to the map he was holding instead. “If we take the A-13 we could take the turnoff sooner and cut about twenty minutes off.”

Tony leaned in, studying the map Steve was referring to, getting  _ just  _ close enough to make the blond blush. Though that  _ totally  _ wasn’t his intention. Hehe. “Hmm, yeah but we’ll catch the rush hour traffic backing up from the A127 if we do that. Better off cutting down here.”

As interesting as the conversation was (not) Peter couldn’t help but notice the longer Tony sat in the parking lot chatting with Steve the more time he spent  _ not driving _ . Whereas he hadn’t had to go that badly before, walking into a toilet and then back out again his bladder was very confused and was loudly voicing its grievance. “Mr. Stark, can you hurry up please?”

“Hm?” Tony hummed before he caught on to the situation and sat back up in the driver's seat. “Right, yeah, sorry kid.” 

“What’s wrong?” Steve asked tentatively. 

Peter shook his head. There was nothing he could say to explain without sounding prissy; he’d just eaten and taken a nap, and as far as Steve could tell he’d just peed- there was no reason for the sudden urgency. “N-nothing I-“

But Tony on the other hand had no qualms in explaining just why Peter was itching to leave. “He couldn’t piss at the rest stop, said their bathroom was gross.” 

“Tony!” Peter cried indignantly, a look of betrayal plastered across his face. 

Before Tony could defend himself Steve nodded in agreement. “Oh yeah it was pretty nasty. I couldn’t go either, Sport, don’t worry about it.”

Tony sat back and stared at Steve for a weighted moment before sighing deeply, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Were you planning on telling me this?”

“No I can wait until we get to the hotel.” Steve said lightly, not seeing the issue. He’d only been trying to make the kid feel better, he wasn’t sure why Tony was getting annoyed with  _ him.  _ It wasn’t like he’d been the one to deliberately trash the bathroom. 

“It’s two and a half hours away, Steve.” Tony said flatly. 

The blond scowled. “What’re you trying to say?”

“Come on. Don’t be like that.” Tony sighed even deeper. Steve had already had to go since he woke up, they were pushing it with this gas station- Steve  _ knew that,  _ why did Tony’s super people insist on making everything so difficult? He understood their bodies worked a little differently, why couldn’t they? Everything came down to pride or shame- when it was simple biology, Tony couldn’t understand for the life of him why they  _ insisted  _ on pushing themselves  _ constantly.  _ “There’s no way. Even if you could wait that long I’d be extremely upset with you for not telling me. I don’t want you to sit there uncomfortable for any reason- especially if it’s something I can fix. That goes for you too kid.” Tony said pointedly, making eye contact with Peter in the mirror. “I shouldn’t have to keep telling you guys that.”

“It’s hard to speak up when you never have to stop.” Peter admitted shyly. 

“Just because I don’t need to go doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to.” Tony said, his voice laced with frustration. Call him stupid (actually maybe  _ don’t)  _ but he really wasn’t following that train of logic. “You both have super metabolisms. I skip a meal, I’m a little cranky, you skip a meal and you pass out. I drink some coffee and I’m fine, you two drink some coffee and it’s-  _ oh my god I’m gonna pee my pants, _ in T-minus ten minutes. We’re not playing the same game here.”

“You know, even when you’re trying to be nice you have is uncanny ability to make things sound like an insult.” Steve sighed boredly towards the window; feigning total disinterest in the conversation like he often did when Tony was ranting about something. Best to ignore him, not stoke the fire and let him calm down in his own time. 

But Tony was busy trying to make a point; one that clearly had to be reiterated. “I’m just saying I get it. Legit reasons aside at the end of the day if you gotta go you gotta go.” 

“Well I gotta go  _ now  _ so can you stop talking about it and drive please.” Peter groaned through gritted teeth leaning on the edge of his seat twisting his legs together. 

“Oh shit, right.” Tony said as he quickly put the car into gear. He’d gotten lost in trying to drill his point home that he’d forgotten what had started him on that rant in the first place.

They made it about two minutes down the street before Peter started whining again. “Can I unbuckle?”

“No.” Both adults said simultaneously. 

“Mmm- please? It’s making it so much worse.” Peter pouted, tugging the offending strap away from his abdomen. Everytime he wiggled it pulled into his bladder, squishing him against the seat. 

“Because you’re sitting like that- sit back.” Tony instructed. 

Steve nodded in agreement though he was decidedly more sympathetic. “He’s right Pete, you’re only putting more pressure on your bladder hunched over like that. Try and sit up straight.”

“If I sit up straight it’s gonna come out.” Peter whined. 

“Do I need to pull over.” Tony sighed, less as a question, more of a statement. 

“Uh uh, I can- mm  _ hold it.”  _ Peter muttered through a groan. “Just hurry up.”

Steve glanced back and forth from the driver's seat to the back. He looked more nervous than Peter and Tony combined. “Tony you have my permission this one time to speed.”

“Well as much as I’m glad to have your permission darlin’, I think you’ll find I’ve been speeding everytime you or bite size have had a potty emergency today.”

_ “Tony!”  _ Steve and Peter both snapped in tandem, with different levels of fury and indignance; and for slightly different reasons. 

“Oh would you prefer I slow down? Because I can do that.” Tony laughed lightly, having zero intention of actually doing that but it still made Peter whine. “Okay, okay, chill out we’re all most there, look. See? Two minutes kid.” 

“My bladder’s going to explode.” Peter said in a dead serious tone as he stared at the footwell. He could swear every ounce of spare fluid in his body had suddenly been pushed into the small organ, distending it beyond capacity and it wanted  _ out.  _ Whether that be by conventional means or by rupturing his muscles. No amount of twisting in his seat was relieving the pressure, all he could do was bare down and try and stop it from leaking. 

“You can make it, kiddo.” Steve encouraged him, wincing sympathetically as his own bladder pounded. He was glad to note he wasn’t nearly as desperate as he had been earlier, it was more of a dull stinging ache. Wait, stinging? Oh dear. 

“No I mean, like, literally explode. My bladder is going to rupture like that old astronomer dude.”

“Like who?” Tony squinted, trying to discern what the hell the kid was talking about or whether or not he’d finally lost it. 

“I don’t remember his name, but I asked Bruce one time and he said it is possible.” Peter tried to explain but his mouth wasn’t cooperating. All of his energy was focused on keeping his bladder in check. “I’m pretty sure he, like, died.”

“Well don't do it on my seats, that sounds like a messy death.” Tony rolled his eyes. Trust Bruce to put ideas like that in the kid’s head, he knew better than to give Peter any kind of medical knowledge. Just look what happened last time when he’d gotten a hold of that nitrous oxide tank. 

“I’m trying not to- I’m really  _ really  _ trying!” Peter snapped, like he had any intention of deliberately messing up the seats; he was torturing himself by adamantly avoiding just that. 

He didn’t have to torture himself for too much longer as Tony pulled into the station; and the boy jumped out before Tony had the chance to ask him to wait. 

“I’ll take him.” Steve said, quickly hobbling out of the car himself in hopes that he’d be able to use the facilities too. That and Peter had ran off so quickly there was no way Tony would catch up with him anyway. He caught up to the boy just as he was skidding towards the door, only Steve noted before he even got to try the handle that there was a sign above it. “Pete- Pete buddy, I think you need a key-“

By now Peter was hunched over, gripping his thighs to avoid gripping somewhere else. He couldn’t manage an articulate response but he made his frustrations known. “Mmmngh!” 

“Hold on, I’ll go get it.” Steve said as he quickly ran off towards the building. 

“Holding on.” Peter panted out. He used the moment of solitude to grab himself and stomp around; before he realised Tony could still see him from the car. When he glanced over the bearded man was laughing at him, that asshole. Steve came back just as he’d finished flipping his mentor off, and quickly got to work unlocking the door. Only not quick enough. “Mmm Steve please hurry up!”

“I’m working on it pal, the locks sticky-“ Steve made a small noise of exertion as he pushed the door open with an ear piercing shriek. “-there. Go on, kiddo.” 

Peter immediately flew into the restroom, barely closing the door behind himself as he tugged his pants down. He groaned loudly as he positioned himself in front of the bowl (which was thankfully remarkably clean) and was able to unleash the torrent of urine he’d been keeping at bay. 

Steve was standing patiently outside the door- at least he was trying to be patient. But his superhearing and the close proximity meant he could hear as Peter relieved himself. Though he was happy the boy had made it (and now he could hear how desperate he was) it didn’t do much to quell his desire to relieve himself. He bounced on his toes slightly, resisting the urge to do anything else and waited, telling his bladder to wait just a little longer. 

After a moment he heard the toilet flush and the boy washing his hands, then the door handle jiggle. 

Then it jiggled again, only the door didn’t open. 

“Uh- Steve? Are you holding the door?” Came a quiet voice from inside. 

“No?”

“I-it won’t open!” 

“I’m sure it will- you’ve just gotta jimmy it a little the guy said.” Steve muttered, hearing the wood scream and crack under the boy's strength when he pushed just a little too hard. “Just be careful.”

“I’m trying but it won’t budge!” Peter cried, his voice rising in pitch along with his anxiety. Steve pressed his shoulder against the door and gave it a push, but when the wood bowed again he stopped, not wanting to be responsible for breaking it. 

Tony, having seen the commotion, got out of the car. He shook his head as he walked over to them, wondering why nothing could be straight forward. “What’s the hold up?”

“I’m stuck!” Peter yelled. 

Tony couldn’t stop the smirk that appeared on his face. “Stuck? In the toilet again? Peter what did I tell you about checking if the seats down-“

“This isn’t funny Tony!” Peter huffed and kicked the door angrily, making a small split appear. 

“It’s seriously not.” Steve said under his breath. He was shifting foot to foot and that’s when Tony remembered he had to pee too. The brunette groaned. 

“Just break the door, I’ll pay for it.” He said as though it was the simplest thing in the world. Which it was, who cared if some old run down gas station in the middle of nowhere had a broken door? Well apparently Peter Parker did. 

“I don’t wanna do that.” The boy whined. The only clean bathroom with a working lock (even if that lock worked a little  _ too well)  _ for miles- he was not about to ruin the sanctuary for any other small bladdered person that may come along. 

“Tony you shouldn’t encourage that kind of-“ Steve started to chastise him imparting bad habits on the boy, only for Tony to give him a look; silently asking if he’d rather wet himself instead, making the blond blush. “Let’s just- lets just try the lock again.”

“It’s not working.” Peter whimpered after another few minutes of twisting the handle. He sounded teary now, and Tony was more than aware of the kid’s aversion to confined spaces. 

“P, climb out the window I’ll go see if they have a crowbar or something, okay?”

“‘Kay.” Peter sniffled slightly before he got to work; squeezing himself out of the tiny bathroom window with little difficulty. Miraculously Peter shimmied his way through the small gap easily and despite his ability to scale walls Steve was still there to catch him so he didn’t drop straight to the floor. 

“You alright, buddy?”

“Yeah.” Peter nodded, feeling much better now that he’d gotten back out into the fresh air, even though it was cold enough to make him shiver. He noticed Steve was shivering too, only the blond was wearing a jacket.. “Are you..?”

“I’m fine.” Steve nodded quickly, flashing a confident smile that soon dissolved. Rather than go back to the car like Peter did, he elected to stand outside, leaning against the wall and jiggling his legs, waiting for Tony to return. Only he hadn’t counted on the old man behind the counter coming out with him to tend to the door. 

“Yer sorry bout that, ol’ door gets jammed every once in a while. Probably have call the locksmith ‘ergain.” The man said, tutting when he looked at the rusted lock. He also had the opportunity to observe Steve’s pee dancing out of the corner of his eye and smiled sympathetically. “There’s a porta-potty out back if its uh, urgent there, son.” 

“No it’s okay, I think we’ll just go. Thank you anyway.” Steve said, nodding curtly. 

Tony managed to give him a dry look that said ‘really?’ before he went speeding off towards the car before anything else could be said. 

Tony almost had to jog to keep up with him. “Why did you do that?”

“Shut up.” Steve said quietly through gritted teeth, warning Tony from pressing the issue further. 

And for once the genius listened. It wasn’t often he took kindly to being told to shut up, but he figured he’d let Steve have a freebie. “Shutting up.” 

When they got back into the car it was deathly silent. Though Peter hadn’t seen the tail end of the interaction, he could tell that the end result had not been Steve peeing, and he knew better than to ask why; so the silence persisted. And so did Steve’s constant shifting and pained expression. only when the road they were driving on remained barren for fifteen more minutes did Steve dared to talk. “Can’t you find somewhere else to stop?”

But Tony just gawked at him. They were sitting in the same car right? Seeing the same road? Did the blond really think he was holding out on him? “Babe how many places do you think there are on one stretch of road? We just passed two within 20 miles of each other, there’s not gonna be another one for a while.” 

Steve was so preoccupied by his screaming bladder he didn’t even catch the pet name. He knew Tony would have stopped had he could have he just- he had to say something, he had to  _ do  _ something, if he didn’t he was going to explode and he was starting to agree with Peter’s sentiment earlier. He really did feel like he was going to die from a ruptured bladder and the thought was enough to make his eyes prickle dangerously. 

“God I should’ve just-“ Steve groaned, his voice wavering for a moment, before he took a deep breath trying to appear calm. He won’t let himself panic, he can’t, that’ll only make it worse. The hotel was only; what- two more hours? He could..he could do that. Surely he could do that. He’s an adult, a  _ superhero _ . “It’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

“I’ll find a different hotel-“ Tony shook his head, already reaching forward for the GPS looking to reroute. 

“No, Tony.” Steve said seriously. As great as that idea sounded, logistically it wasn’t feasible. They’d have to get permission to change locations, have to reroute not just themselves but their back up agents too to cover and- and was too much work. Besides the fact that they’d have to give Nick a reason when they called, and ‘Steve really has to tinkle’ really didn’t sound like a great excuse. “I said I’m fine, let’s just- stop talking about it.” 

“Alright..” Tony sighed softly, resigning himself to the fact that he couldn’t do much else. Unlike Peter had earlier, the blond wouldn’t ask him to pull over, not whilst the boy was awake; like he couldn’t see the situation rapidly unfolding. 

In fact Peter could see, and he could see that Steve wasn’t going to say anything any time soon. But unlike his mentor, rather than not understanding and growing frustrated with his lack of self preservation, Peter understood perfectly. After all that was  _ three  _ opportunities to pee Steve had missed now, not just asking for but  _ needing  _ a fourth was embarrassing, especially in such a short space of time. His bladder having to face the rejection that many times must have been torturous. Peter could see the man wasn’t going to make it much farther and with no rest stops in sight the teenager came up with an idea. Unlike Tony he wasn’t entirely powerless to help.

“Uhm, Mr. Stark?” Peter asked quietly, but with urgency, breaking the tense silence once again. 

“What is it, kid?” 

“I think I’m gonna throw up.” Peter said clearly, manipulating his voice to make it sound like he really was about to. He watched Tony's eyes widen and resisted the urge to smirk; it was kind of novel knowing he had the power to freak Tony Stark out, even in such a mundane way. 

“What?” He asked alarmedly, though his head was already whipping around to check the boy over. Sure enough Peter was face contorted “Oh Jesus- okay hold on.”

Tony panicked, wondering just how the trip could get worse but then he saw the look Peter was giving him and- oh.  _ Oh. _ Sweet kid.  _ Smart  _ kid. 

Peter had to ham it up of course to keep it believable and to make sure Tony stopped  _ quickly.  _ It wasn’t hard to make himself look uncomfortable, and he threw in a few faux gags in there for good measure; though he was a little too good at it and made his stomach actually churn. 

But by the time Tony had pulled over Steve had gone from trying to hide his need to openly holding himself, leaning forward in his seat with his eyes squeezed shut. He probably thought Peter would be too preoccupied with his nausea to notice. Peter could tell by the looks of him that he wouldn’t make it out of the car, so he quickly changed tact, giving Tony a pitiful look as he grabbed the door handle. “C-can you come with me?”

Tony instantly caught on to what he was suggesting. “Of course bub, gimme two seconds.” When Peter jumped out and shut the door Tony went to follow suit but paused to give Steve a stern look; right before he shoved the empty Gatorade bottle in his hands. “Make use of  _ this  _ while we're gone.” He growled lowly, making sure Steve knew it wasn’t a request, it was an order; one that Steve wouldn’t be able to refuse anyway. 

No sooner than Tony undid his seatbelt, Steve was frantically ripping off his own and trying to shimmy his pants down his waist. He’d already taken off his belt earlier when they’d first gotten back into the car, which saved him precious seconds but it wasn’t enough. Before he could even properly position the bottle he was steadily leaking, sprinkling piss over the seat and the front of his pants, even though he tried desperately to stem the flow by gripping himself all he succeeded in doing was making the fluid spray more messily between his fingers. 

Finally he got himself suitated, and not a second too late as the floodgates fully opened. He peed hard, spraying noisily in the bottle, echoing round the car as it filled. And filled. And started to overflow-

_ Shit!  _ Steve wasn’t done, not by a long shot and his bladder had relaxed too much for him to even begin to regain control. He couldn’t even so much as stem the flow slightly, even once the bottle started pouring its remnants back onto his lap- the thing he’d been trying to avoid in the first place. But he couldn’t stop it, there was no way, all he could do now was try to minimise the damage- but how? 

The most logical thing to do would’ve been to throw the door open and continue emptying his bladder outside- but Steve wasn’t thinking logically. All he was thinking was a screaming string of curse words as he continued to wet both his pants and Tony's seat-  _ oh god the seat.  _ For a brief second he considered throwing the bottle aside and finishing up in the footwell, at least the carpeted mat would’ve absorbed most of it and could be easily cleaned, but when he glanced down he saw something else. Something he saw as a much more viable and less offensive option.  _ His hoodie.  _

Without another thought Steve shoved the now half empty bottle in the cup holder and swiped his hoodie off the floor; before hunching over and bunching the fabric up in his lap. Groaning with relief he finally allowed himself to relax fully, though by now his bladder was almost empty the relief was immeasurable now that he could pee without abandon. 

Only the relief didn’t last long, not once Steve looked down at the absolute mess he’d made. Somehow the front of his pants were  _ mostly  _ dry, though the insides of his thighs were drenched. As soon as his legs parted even slightly the stains were clearly visible, and he could feel his butt was wet also. Thankfully the seat was mostly unscathed, the droplets that had hit it being wiped off by his legs as he’d moved- but the same could not be said for his hoodie. The once pale blue fabric was now a dark blue tie dye. 

Groaning to himself and wondering just how the hell he could be so  _ stupid,  _ Steve quickly shoved the offending garment into the bottom of his backpack; before shoving his backpack under his seat where it would stay indefinitely or at least until he could dispose of the evidence. He didn’t have much time to panic or bully himself too much as he knew Tony and Peter could be back at any moment. He did have time to notice how despite now being empty his bladder was absolutely  _ burning.  _ Not the same kind of deep ache he was used to after holding it for too long, but it stung and pounded like it was still trying to squeeze more fluid out of him, as if he had anymore to give. He’d made enough of a mess as it was, making sure to dump out the bottle and chuck that in his bag too so he could  _ hopefully  _ keep that minor accident (accident? He technically hadn’t peed  _ in  _ his pants, just  _ on  _ them so..?) a secret. Even from Tony, though he wasn’t sure how he’d accomplish that. 

Ignoring the pounding ache in his tummy Steve was more concerned about someone else’s stomach. He really hoped Peter was okay. He'd only heard tales about the boy’s occasional carsickness, none of which were pretty; and he hoped today wasn’t the day he’d witness it for himself. 

In reality Peter and Tony had just sat there, perched on a tree stump, waiting until the coast was clear. Peter took the time to play on his phone since doing so in the car actually made him sick and Tony was yelling at Nick on the phone about not rushing them. After around ten minutes, long enough that someone would be able to theoretically get over a sickness spell, the pair wandered back to the car. 

“Are you alright, Sport?” Steve asked, slightly out of breath but trying to remain cool. 

“Uh huh, I feel better now.” Peter said cheerily, as he was glad to note that Steve looked a lot better too; ashamed and maybe a little traumatised- but better. 

“You always do after you puke, it’s like you have a reset button.” Tony shook his head, lying seamlessly. It wasn’t an untrue statement either when it came to the boy's carsickness, though that wasn’t to say he wasn’t glad it wasn’t the case right now. Tony threw him another bottle of Gatorade, knowingly making both of the others cringe. “Better drink this though, keep your blood sugar up.” 

“Uhh..yeah, right..” 

Once they were back on the road the car was quiet again, though it wasn’t the same painful silence it had been before. Steve could tell they both were both  _ itching  _ to ask if he was okay, as it was painfully obvious he no longer needed to pee. He just hoped that Peter assumed he’d hopped out and gone in the trees, not that he’d tried (and failed) to pee in the Gatorade bottle that was inexplicably missing from the cup holder. 

But both Peter and Tony knew better than to draw more attention to the situation. Instead they allowed the silence to continue, broken up by the radio playing softly and relaxing with the knowledge that for once that day everyone’s bladder was empty. The only offer of comfort anyone offered was Tony occasionally squeezing Steve’s hand when he was sure Peter wasn’t looking. 

After a while though, conversation started flowing freely again. Steve was still noticeably quiet but as time went on he was able to push the incident out of his mind and join in the chatter, almost appearing back to normal; even if he was still keeping his legs together and his lap covered, Tony was confident that he’d get over it as soon as he was able to shower and get into comfy clothes. So long as they didn’t run into any more problems, he was hopeful that with only an hour and a half left on the clock that the rest of the journey would be smooth sailing. 

“Hey Tony?”

_ Or maybe not.  _ “What now, kid?”

“Are we almost there?”

_ ‘Between the pair of you? I fucking hope so.’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Btw- if any of y’all have any specific requests or scenario for Omo stuff please let me know! I think this fic might be where I explore those :)


	3. Tony’s Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You guys all collectively decided it was Tony’s Turn and I figured that was only fair since he’s the character I pick on the least 😆 
> 
> This chapter is based largely off of this prompt 😊:
> 
> “Chulupa:What if after yet another emergency so for his super people, Tony gets a large drink without concern but then he needs to piss and for some reason decides to hide it from his passengers trying to wait until one of them needs a piss as well. Then icing on the cake, there are no bathrooms and kids if traffic so not only is he forced to admit that he's about to wet his seat(much to the other passengers surprise) but he ends up having to go by the car/ in the car/ somewhere... But it just shocks the heck out of Steve and boy wonder.”
> 
> Hope this is okay!

Despite the short amount of time left on the clock, they still managed to fit in a small pee emergency for Steve- though Peter decided to mix things up by threatening to throw up only this time he wasn’t lying. Thankfully it turned out he was just hungry and he was fine after they stopped somewhere for him to eat; though that did mean turning back the way they’d been, adding more time to their journey, but at this point? Who cares. Tony certainly didn’t and he had a mouthful for Nick if the man dared pester them again. It also gave Steve the chance to change his clothes, so Tony wasn’t complaining about the additional hour. 

“Okay, two more hours, you think we can make it two more hours without one of you threatening to ruin my car with bodily fluids?” Tony sighed as he got back in the car after refilling his travel mug. Well, he called it a mug but it was more like a cauldron; the old Stark Industries flask he’d had custom made for himself to hold an ungodly amount of coffee so he didn’t have to stop for refills throughout his busy work day. But he’d now refilled the thing three times that day already and Steve was starting to get concerned. 

“Do you really think all that is a good idea?” The blond asked skeptically, grimacing slightly when Tony took a big swig of the black liquid. 

Tony squinted at him. “Unlike you Steve, I can actually hold my piss.”

“I meant all the caffeine, but fine, enjoy your heart palpitations.” Steve snapped, uncharacteristically short. After the several horrifying incidents earlier that day he was feeling more than a little bit sensitive; and he certainly wasn’t in the mood for Tony to bring it up in jest just yet. 

“I was just teasing love.” Tony pouted apologetically. He hadn’t meant to genuinely upset the man, hence why he took the opportunity of the car being empty to lean himself over to rest his head on Steve’s shoulder; peering up at him and batting his eyelashes. “I’m sorryyy-“

“Tony stop it he could be back any second.” Steve huffed, attempting to shrug Tony off and ignore the blush rising to his cheeks. 

But that didn’t deter Tony in the slightest, of anything it made him drape himself over him more. “Then say you forgive me.”

“Will you get off of me?” Steve huffed again only this time he had to bite back a chuckle.  _ Damn it Tony, stop making it so hard to be mad.  _

Tony grinned, hearing the waver in Steve’s voice; knowing he was winning.  _ “Say it.” _

“I forgive you Tony, now get off me.” Steve sighed and promptly pushed Tony back into his own seat without so much as a noise of excretion. 

“That’s the first time you’ve thrown me off your lap.”

“Well stop being an idiot then I won’t have to make a habit of it.” Steve grumbled, turning towards the window before Tony could see the smile creeping onto his face. 

“Who said I didn’t like it?” Tony smirked as he glanced over the blond’s shoulder; knowing Steve wouldn’t have the time to chastise his dirty talk before Peter doing the door open. 

“Sorry!” The boy panted as he hopped back into the car. 

Steve recovered quickly after giving Tony a quick glare and smiled back at him. “All set bud?”

“Yep.” Peter nodded cheerily as he plugged his seatbelt in. “We can go now.” 

“Thanks for the permission, kid.” Tony rolled his eyes as he turned the key. “There’s a rest stop in about an hour, so go easy on the drinks you two.” 

The pair ultimately ignored his comment, knowing the man didn’t really mean it. Of course he didn’t expect them to forcibly avoid drinking to avoid anymore stops; he’d already told Peter off for doing just that. Thinking about it, Tony had felt the need to go himself for a while now. He hadn’t used the facilities once himself despite the many times he’d stopped as he’d been too preoccupied getting his super people situated; and the need was never pressing enough for him to deal with. Unlike his passengers he didn’t find the pressure nearly as uncomfortable and was able to put it off easily. But now he was thinking about it he’d gotten coffee every time they’d stopped and he’d skipped lunch, opting with a liquid meal instead. With nothing to absorb all the fluids he’d consumed his bladder was feeling a little fuller than what was comfortable. But it was manageable, he could still ignore it, just instead of forgetting about it completely it was a constant niggling reminder in the back of his mind. 

Still he planned to wait until they got the hotel, he’d be fine until then and if by some stroke of bad luck he did end up needing to go desperately before then he’d go at the rest stop. He’d prefer not to, unlike peter it wasn’t because he  _ couldn’t  _ use gross bathrooms, he could if he had to; but also unlike peter his large bladder gave him the capacity to wait until he was somewhere more comfortable. He had the option to be picky. He was confident that it wouldn’t be an issue so long as he didn’t make it one, hence why he sipped his next gallon of coffee a little more slowly. 

At least he intended to, but to say he was addicted was an understatement and everytime he took a sip and the sweet, bitter liquid slid over his tongue he instantly craved more. So he ended up guzzling it down rather quickly all things considered. The mug was almost empty by the time they were nearing that scheduled stop. 

Peter had tried not to need the extra stop but the soda he had gone through him quicker than he expected and he ended up needing it rather urgently; much to the boy’s embarrassment. 

“I’m sorry I know we’re already late.” Peter mumbled as he squirmed in his seat. Whereas he wasn’t nearly as shy admitting he had to go now after both he and Steve had their share of incidents, he still felt guilty. 

“Bud, I scheduled the stop in for a reason, you don’t need to apologise.” Tony said flippantly as he pulled into the parking lot. 

“I know but I- I-“ Peter started to apologise again, but cut himself off. He knew if he said he should be able to wait an hour Tony would tell him off. “-I’ll be super duper quick I promise.”

“Don’t rush.” Tony called but Peter was already gone. He didn’t head his mentor’s warning against rushing either, as running full speed meant he tripped over the curb and fell flat on his face. He quickly got back up, unscathed as he scrambled into the rest stop, but that didn’t stop Tony from shaking his head at him. “Oh good god. Don’t you wanna go?”

“No I’m okay.” Steve said honestly when the man turned to him; and for once Tony didn’t tease him. “Don’t you?”

The brunette shrugged. “Nah I’m good.”

“Are you sure? You haven’t been all day.” Steve asked concernedly. Unlike Tony, Steve had been highly aware of the man’s constant fluid consumption and he’d been waiting for the man to excuse himself all day but he had yet to do so. 

Tony raised an eyebrow, clearly amused. “Why’re you keeping tabs on my bathroom habits Mr. Rogers?”

“Captain.”

“Sorry. Why’re you keeping tabs on my bathroom habits Mr. Captain?” Tony corrected himself. 

“Asshole.” Steve rolled his eyes, though he found a blush creeping up his neck at the accusation. “I wasn’t doing it on purpose, I just notice these things.”

“Kinky.” Tony mumbled as he played on his phone, not really paying attention. The need was certainly worse now, the large coffee he’d downed in record time was catching up quickly, but he still knew another hour would be fine, if not slightly uncomfortable. After all his record was what, like eleven hours with a full bladder? This would be nothing, it hadn’t been anywhere near that long yet. Though he couldn’t remember if he went before they left the tower that morning, but surely he went when he got up right..

“Don’t be gross Tony, I’m just worried about you giving yourself another kidney infection.”

“It’s not me you need to be worried about with infections, I saw you rubbing your stomach.” Tony said, flipping the conversation back on him. Steve blushed, clearly the blond thought he’d been much more surreptitious when hiding his discomfort. “Yeah, I noticed. You best believe as soon as we get to the hotel I’m force feeding you a whole case of cranberry juice.”

“Now who’s kinky?” Steve mumbled, crossing his arms across his chest. 

“Never denied that, never will.” Tony grinned, right before he took another swig of his coffee. Steve was about to ask Tony if he was really okay when Peter skipped back into view; and hopped back into the car with his arms full. “More soda?”

“It was a part of the deal, I’m not gonna drink it now, Mr. Stark.” Peter rolled his eyes, shoving the armful of snacks and drinks into the seat beside him. 

“How can you still be hungry?” Tony laughed. 

“I’m not, it’s in case I get hungry  _ later.”  _ Though he was eating the candy portion of his meal deal now. “Besides, I felt guilty using their bathroom without buying anything.” 

“Tony are you sure you dont-“

“Okay, let’s go kids.” Tony said over the top of Steve. As much as he appreciated the concern, he couldn’t help but feel his pride getting hurt a little bit with Steve’s constant prying. After all, he’d never had any problems before, he didn’t like the idea of Steve assuming he’d have one now. They were almost to their destination, he’d be fine. 

Or at least, he would have been. Had the stretch of what should have been open road not been bumper to bumper traffic instead. 

About twenty minutes after they got back on the road, they were met with a line of cars as far as the eye could see; and only a few miles from their exit. 

“Jesus where did all this come from?” Steve said confusedly.

Tony himself had no idea. They weren’t in a residential area and though it was nearing rush hour, he hadn’t expected to see this kind of congestion on a highway on a Saturday. “FRI?”

The AI was quick to respond. “There was a multicar pile up on the neighbouring A16, that is still being cleaned up by authorities. The congestion stretches from the A12 to highway 34 _ ,  _ Boss.”

“Brilliant, Nick’s gonna be thrilled.” Tony groaned, gripping the steering wheel just a little bit tighter than necessary. 

“I’ll call him.” Steve sighed. 

Sensing the commotion, Peter slipped his headphones off, pausing his movie. “What’s happening?”

“Traffic.” Tony stated, waiting for the boy to actually, you know, use his eyes. 

“Oh no.” Peter frowned. 

“Why oh no?” Tony asked, peering at the boy in the mirror. “You don’t need to pee again do you?”

Peter smiled, happy for once that the answer is no. “Uh uh, I’m fine.”

“Okay, it’s not a problem just let me know if you do, I’ll pull over.” Tony said quickly. He’d half hoped the kid would say he did because Tony was starting to get really uncomfortable now. He didn’t mind pulling over for one of his passengers and then making use of the bushes himself but having to pull over just for him made him feel..weird. He didn’t want to say embarassed because, well he didn’t get embarassed, at least he didn’t think he did, not anymore. A lifetime of debauchery had somewhat numbed his shame receptors- but something about admitting he couldn’t wait made his cheeks burn. He wasn’t used to the sensation of feeling embarassment. Nor was he used to the sensation of not being able to hold or. He’d pushed his limits many times (many  _ many times,  _ hence the creation of the filtration system) but he’d always been in control, not his body, he called the shots. Even the times he’d pissed his pants it was because  _ he’d  _ chosen to- but now he was faced with the real possibility that that control would be taken away from him and he suddenly felt incredibly anxious. Which did not help the sensation building in his abdomen in the slightest. 

He must’ve been noticeably quiet because Steve suddenly put his hand on his thigh, making Tony jump. “Are you alright?”

“What’re you doing? Peter might-“

“He’s asleep.” Steve said reassuringly; and sure enough when Tony glanced in the back Peter was passed out again, face pressed against the window with his movie still playing. “Now answer me.”

“I’m fine I just..” Tony hesitated. Tony Stark didn’t hesitate, that wasn’t in his nature- but apparently he was challenging all of his preconceptions about himself today. He didn’t want to admit what was wrong..but also knew he had to lead by example. He didn’t want to be a hypocrite and the pair had already said how he’d made them uncomfortable voicing their needs because he never had to and he wanted to fix that; but he also didn’t want to be facing this nauseating scenario by himself. He was Tony Stark, he didn’t lose control- and certainly not over his bladder. It was something he’d prided himself on (which admittedly was a stupid thing to pride ones self on but give him a break) and the prospect of that being taken away from him left him feeling vulnerable. He wanted support and who was better to support him than Captain Cuddles. “..I should’ve pissed back at the gas station.” 

“Oh honey..” Steve smiled sympathetically, more like a grimace and the pity in his voice made Tony suddenly angry- no. Calm down, he’s not pitiying you, he cares about you, there’s a difference. 

Tony shook off the indignant that was trying to sneak up on him and accepted the comfort; even if he did feel the need to deny how bad it was. “I’ll be alright, it’s just not fun.”

“You don’t need to tell me that, look at me today.” Steve chuckled lightly, though when Tony didn’t follow suit his smile fell. He took in the brunette's posture, his clenched jaw and tight expression, and realised that the traffic may actually pose a problem as opposed to being a minor inconvenience. “You gonna be okay till we get out of this?”

The blond suddenly doubting his ability to control himself made Tony regret saying anything. He was unsure himself but he didn’t want Steve to know that- and the idea that his partner thought there was a possibility he might not make it was- no. Just no. He couldn’t, his ego couldn’t handle that. So he did the only thing he knew to do in situations that made him uncomfortable. He made a joke out of it. “Let’s hope so. Worst case I can just piss on the seats, they’re leather, who cares.” 

Steve rolled his eyes at the joke but kept his hand on Tony’s leg massaging it gently which honestly helped a lot. The touch was comforting and made Tony feel as though he wasn’t alone, even though for the first time that day he was. Though he couldn’t be bitter about that, he was happy his super people had empty bladders themselves as getting them through that traffic jam would’ve been an absolute nightmare. That being said it was very quickly turning into a nightmare for him too. Half an hour into the jam and he could feel himself sweating and he was uncontrollably bouncing his leg. He hoped that Steve would pass off the bouncing as his usual hyperactivity or building frustration with the traffic, but the blond was eyeing him knowingly; which only made Tony more adamant that he could hold it. He  _ would  _ hold it. 

  
  


But another half an hour passed and they were barely crawling along. That was when Tony began to realise he was in serious trouble.

Someone honked their horn a ways up the road when someone’s else tried to merge lanes and caused even more problems; the loud noise waking Peter up with a start. 

“Mnhuh?!” Peter yelped as he sat up. 

“It’s alright Underoos, just some angry Texans, nothing to worry about.” Tony quickly shushed him when he saw the boy flick his wrists. Just what they needed, Peter to web them to their seats. What was it he’d said about no more bodily fluids in his car? 

Thankfully Peter came to pretty quickly and flipped himself out of fight mode, rubbing his eyes tiredly as he tried to focus. “Are we there yet?”

“Nope not even close.” Tony sighed. Saying it aloud reminded his bladder of just how far away it was from relief which made it pound angrily as a form of protest. 

“How long was I asleep?” Peter asked with a yawn, looking confused as to their lack of progress. 

“‘Bout an hour and half.” Steve chimed in. 

Peter squinted over the dashboard and around the car. “Have we even moved?”

“Of course we have, see that tree? We’re next to a whole different tree now.” Tony laughed at the boy's perplexed expression though he wished he hadn’t as it made his bladder pulse again. Clenching his thighs together he scowled at himself. ‘Get it together Tony you’re acting like a child,’ he thought, when he noticed his child was shifting too. “You okay?”

“Mhm.” Peter hummed automatically before he scrunched his nose up and bit his lip. Before Tony could ask again he changed his answer. “Uhm..n-no.” 

Steve turned around in his seat, already being able to tell what was wrong. By now he’d caught on to the fact that Peter was always bursting when he woke up and he wasn’t going to make him say it. “Want us to plug our ears pal?”

“Th-there's nothing back here to go in.” Peter whimpered as he glanced around the car. That made Tony cringe a little too, there was his back up plan gone. Though he did vaguely remember Steve dumping out all their trash when they’d stopped- goddamn clean freak  _ Steve. _ After the amount of emergencies they’d had that day you’d think- not now Tony, focus on the kid. 

“If you hop out do you think you can make it to the trees?” Tony asked and Peter nodded quickly already undoing his seatbelt and fighting to get his blanket off of him. Steve reached back to help de tangle him from the blue plush prison, but even once he was free he still hesitated before exiting the car. He looked at Tony for permission, which the man quickly granted him. “Then go, quickly kid.” 

“Be careful!” Steve called after him, noting how Peter had opted to go out of his side of the car, meaning the boy had to cross a lane of traffic. Even if that traffic was unmoving, he still fretted, watching the child right up until he got to the tree line. 

“Be careful? Bitch you were playing chicken earlier when you used your magic baseball cap.” Tony laughed at the blond’s hypocrisy, though karma rewarded him with a wave of desperation to boot. 

“Hmph.” Steve huffed. He intended to remain grumpy but then he saw the look on Tony's face. “Baby are you gonna be okay?”

“Honestly? I have no idea.” Tony said, laughing arily in an attempt to disguise his discomfort. “I’m jealous as fuck of pipsqueak right now, I’ve been eyeing up that bush for the past half hour.” 

“Then go with him, I’ll hop in the driver's seat while you-“

“Nyooo-ho-ho-ho.” Tony said loudly, drawing the word out as he shook his head. 

Steve scowled. He already knew what the answer was going to be but he’d hoped under the circumstances that his boyfriend would be lenient just this once. “Oh Tony come on just while you-“

“No Steve, no means no, you are never  _ ever  _ getting in the drivers seat of my car again. Any of my cars. Ever.”

“It was an accident!”

‘I might have an accident if we don’t move soon.’ Tony thought with an internal whine, but he shook himself off. “Dont care.”

“Fine, you wet your pants then.” Steve huffed 

“I might.” Tony muttered quietly. 

Steve scoffed a slight laugh and shook his head. 

“I’m serious.” Tony said, trying but failing not to squirm a little in his seat. He was trying his best to confide in Steve that he was seriously starting to doubt his ability to hold it; but he spent half his time being sarcastic and joking that even Steve didn’t pick up when he was being genuine. 

“No you’re not.” Steve rolled his eyes, totally disbelieving. Even he thought Tony's bladder was invincible it seemed, and the blond not taking him seriously made Tony feel the need to pretend again. And putting on his mask meant he instantly got snarky. 

“Well you’ve done it twice today already, it must be enjoyable. I wanna see what fun I’m missing out on.” Tony snapped, the pain in his bladder making him irritable; but despite being in a bad mood himself he couldn’t help but instantly regret the comment when he saw the hurt in Steve’s eyes. 

“You’re a real piece of work you know that? I was just trying to help but fine, give yourself another kidney stone, see if I care.” Steve shook his head, shifting in his seat so he was as far away from Tony as humanly possible. Which wasn’t very far considering their close proximity in the car, but it was the gesture that counted. 

Great, not only had he gone and upset Steve about something he was already sensitive about but he’d lost the ability to relieve at least some of his mental anguish by complaining to him. And maybe Tony was about to  _ maybe  _ apologise but just as he was about to open his mouth the car behind him honked their horn. Tony's eyes snapped up when he realised they’d moved maybe two cars lengths up the street, which was the most progress they’d made in an hour, which made Tony bladder squeal in excitement. When he glanced out of the window he saw Peter running back to the car. “Come on kid, quickly, we ain’t got all day here.”

“Sorry.” Peter panted as he threw himself back into his seat just as the person behind them honked again. He took a second to gather his bearings before he noticed his mentor look a little..off? “Are you okay Mr. Stark? You look kinda- sweaty?”

Tony debated lying, he wanted to claim that he was fine but he couldn’t bring himself to. Not if he was going to have to pull off suddenly anyway, he wanted to at least give the kid some warning. He tried to address the situation casually at least, he had to keep up his persona some what. “Too much coffee.”

But for some reason Peter looked instantly panicked, even more nervous than Tony felt as he dived forward to get his bag off the floor. “Do you need your Nitroglycerin spray? Cause I’ve got some in my backpack-“

“What?” Tony asked, genuinely perplexed. Then he realised the kid must have assumed what Steve had earlier. “No bud, my heart's fine, no palpitations. And say, when did you get a hold of that stuff anyway?”

“I asked Bruce for some after that time you passed out on the subway.” Peter explained as he sighed in relief that Tony wasn’t experiencing any chest pains. 

But Steve however looked less than relieved. In fact he looked furious as he turned accusingly towards the driver. “After you  _ what?” _

Oops. Tony quickly scorched over that. “I just gotta pee, kid, I’ll be fine. Unless you have something for that in your backpack.”

“I don’t, sorry.” Peter chuckled. “But after today maybe I should, especially if even  _ you  _ have to go.” 

Tony chuckled but internally he was cringing. Even the kid was commenting on how novel the situation was- but it wasn’t. Not to him. It wasn’t a joke anymore Tony was seriously starting to panic. And that must’ve shown on his face because suddenly that’s all any of them could talk about. 

“How much farther until the hotel?” Peter asked. 

“About another 50 miles, apparently the traffic clears up in about 6. Hopefully we’ll make it there by 7.” Steve responded. 

‘Hopefully I’ll make it more like.’ Tony thought as he ground his teeth that were currently starting to float. It was 5:15 now he knew he could wait another couple hours if he really had to but it was starting to teeter from uncomfortable to downright painful and as much as he was a glutton for pain this wasn’t really the kind he was into. At least not in the car with his kid and his boyfriend. Well at least not with the former and most certainly not unplanned. 

Embarrassingly, Peter verbally mirrored his concerns about the time constraints. “Are you gonna make it Mr. Stark?”

“I don’t know, bud.” Tony said, trying to keep his voice level but it was audibly tight. He almost regretted admitting it when Steve and Peter looked at him with shocked expressions; but they both finally realised how bad it really was. Tony wasn’t sure if he was humiliated or relived. Maybe a mix of both. “Might have to make a quick pit stop if that’s okay with everyone. I know we’re already late but-“

“Of course it is.” Steve said quickly sounding upset that Tony thought it wouldn’t be. 

“Like, duh, as if we’d be mad about it when you’ve had to stop for us like a billion times today.” Peter scoffed. He too couldn’t understand why tony thought it could possibly be an issue; though maybe, he realised, his mentor was a little bit embarrassed to be caught in very much the same situation they’d both been in previously that day. He wasn’t exactly used to it like they were. 

Tony was thankful when they stopped talking about it. Now that he’d voiced his concerns, instead of focusing on his off behaviour they began talking amongst themselves about the mission ahead instead. He didn’t join in much, only contributing here and there to better word answers to the boy’s questions but eventually he grew silent. Completely silent, which at any other time would’ve been considered a miracle, but right now it was a curse. Though his mouth wasn’t moving his brain was going at a hundred miles an hour trying to calculate just how the fuck he was going to get himself out of this without comepletly humiliating himself. 

His travel mug was all but empty now,  _ tantalising empty.  _ What he wouldn’t give to use it to piss in but out of principle he wouldn’t. He wasn’t Peter, he wasn’t Steve, he could hold it and if he could he would. He just didn’t want to get to the point where he couldn’t. In his mind it was totally unacceptable. Though he didn’t feel anywhere near that point yet, it was beginning to hurt. Not only did his bladder ache where it was being distended far beyond what could be considered a healthy capacity, he was feeling a dull burn in his lower back now; he could feel where urine was being forced back up into his kidneys because there just wasn’t anymore room for it to go. It wasn’t as though he felt like he would leak accidentally, but his bladder was so full he almosted wanted to purposely, just to ease some of the pressure off. He’d stopped bouncing his legs now, instead staying deathly still, as though his lack of movement would trick his bladder into thinking it was empty long enough to give him some relief from the constant ache. 

Finally,  _ finally,  _ the traffic started moving, just enough for them to get to their exit and pull off and oh god what an amazing feeling. Tony immediately pressed his foot down as soon as it was safe to do so, feeling the engine roar beneath him and a sense of relief washed over him. Not quite the relief he wanted but at least now he knew he could make it. He may have sped just a little bit, not enough to be dangerous of course, just enough to feel like they were actually getting somewhere- and god he hoped that was somewhere with a toilet. 

Steve didn’t comment on his speeding for once, nor did Peter, but once Tony realised he was doing it he slowed down; mostly because the fact that Steve hasn’t said anything meant the blond must’ve thought he  _ needed  _ to speed. He didn’t. He could wait going the speed limit. But now they were on an almost empty stretch of road, he had to vehemently resist the urge to immediately pull over; like he could see a few other cars had done, the drivers and their passengers hopping out to make use of the trees lining the highway. Oh god what he would’ve given to join them. No. No, he’s Tony Stark, he’s better than that. He can make it. 

Or maybe he can’t. 

The thought rushed over him when he lost his focus and felt a sudden gush of urine seep into his underwear. He regained control immediately but- fuck, he hadn’t meant to do that. He didn’t leak on purpose it was- it was an  _ accident.  _ Fuck. No, no way. 

He quickly got over the panic that his body was trying to force him into- because  _ fuck you body,  _ you’re not making him piss before he’s ready and you’re certainly not going to make him have a panic attack- and he decided to compromise. He settled himself with the thought that okay, he  _ could  _ make it, but at what cost? He didn’t want another kidney stone, Steve was right, what would that prove? He could hold it but he didn’t want to anymore, he was making that choice before his body took it away from him.  _ He  _ was deciding he  _ wanted  _ to pee  _ now.  _

_ At least that’s what he told himself  _ as he suddenly swerved the car. “Fuck this.”

“Jesus Tony!” Steve yelled dramatically gripping the hand rail on the ceiling of the car as Tony jerked it to the side of the road. “What the hell are you-“

“Fuck this I can’t- ah fucking shit-  _ fuck-“  _ Was the only form of explanation Tony gave as he ripped off his seatbelt and undid his pants all in one fluid motion. He pushed open the car door and hopped out- not even bothering to run over to the trees. He kept himself hidden from oncoming traffic with the car door, and stood facing away from his passengers and just let go. And oh boy did he let go; a day's worth of urine quickly pouring out of him spraying a thunderous stream right by the side of the car. It splattered noisily on the concrete, but Tony couldn’t care less, nor could he care less about the fact Steve was gawking at him the entire time. “ _ Oh my fucking god~” _

His shoulders sagged with relief as he threw his head back, groaning loudly as he finally felt the pressure in his kidneys seeping away. Only once his bladder was half empty did he open his eyes again and glance at the car. Peter was looking down at his phone, for the most part looking almost entirely unphased but Steve on the other hand was openly staring at him with a weird look that Tony couldn’t decipher. It was half way between shock and amusement, but there was a dash of something else in there that he didn’t recognise. And he didn’t know why Steve was the one blushing either. “Take a picture if you want, blondie, it’ll last longer.”

“You’ll get a lot of money from the press too for that bad boy.” Peter chimed in through a mouthful of unicorn bacon as he scrolled through his Facebook feed. 

“Shut your face, bug-boy.” Tony chuckled, before returning his focus to the task at hand. After about a minute and a half his stream started to weaken, finally tapering off. Even once he finished up he stood there for a moment, allowing his muscles to stop contracting; after hours of holding it they were wound up right so it took a while for them to loosen and the satisfying after-ache to set in. Once he was content that he was fully empty he got himself situated and clambered back into the car, using the hand sanitiser he had in the door. “Jesus Christ that is so much better.” 

He sat there rubbing his now empty and deflated abdomen relishing in how relaxed the previously taught muscles were. It hurt, but kind of in a good way. All the while Steve was still staring at him, slack jawed. When Tony smirked at him he quickly blinked and attempted to recover. “Did you wanna-“

“Nope.” Steve said, a little too quickly, his eyes snapping forward. He cleared his throat and repeated himself in an attempt to appear more natural. “Nope I’m fine.”

“Okie doke.” Tony chuckled. He left Steve alone for now but he definitely made a mental note to return to the man’s expression later. Once they were alone of course. Tony sighed in relief again and looked in the rear view mirror as he fired up the engine again. “Definitely need to look into a backpack bathroom option now huh kiddo?”

“I’ll say. That was a lot of pee, Mr. Stark.” Peter commented, glancing at the puddle Tony had made that spanned the entire length of the car. He seemed a little shocked that Tony had done so so suddenly, but he wasn’t nearly as shocked as Steve. 

“Trust me, I know.” Tony chuckled. Only the kid could make such an observation without feeling awkward, but in fairness the boy was right. He was certainly glad he hadn’t attempted to use his flask instead as there was no way the cup would’ve held it all. 

“How does it feel to be in our shoes for once?” Peter smirked. 

Tony found himself unbothered by the teasing- which was surprising since he was mortified only a few moments earlier of that exact situation. But he guessed taking charge and avoiding an accident based off of his own hubris was a boost in and of itself so he didn’t feel so bad for getting in that situation. It happens to everyone, even men with iron bladders like himself and like he’d said only hours before; if you gotta go, you gotta go. “Not so bad considering mine aren’t wet.”

“Hey I haven’t even peed my pants today!” Peter cried indignantly, before he realised the implications of what he’d said and his face flushed crimson. 

Tony nodded seriously in agreement. “No you haven’t, let’s hope it stays that way for all of us huh?” 

“Yeah..” Peter said quietly and Steve didn’t chime in to agree with that hope as he was still too stunned to speak. “Let’s hope so.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if there’s a lot of mistakes in this one- I didn’t have time to proofread so there might be some of my plan left in there! I’ll come back and edit it at a later date :)


	4. Chapter 4

“Aaaand he’s out again.” Tony chuckled, glancing in the backseat. 

“It’s not even six?” Steve said with mild concern. He was used to the boy taking a nap here and there when he was staying at their house; and he usually went to bed pretty early, but he’d slept for most of their journey. He was starting to worry something was wrong. 

“The boy loves his sleep.” Tony shrugged with a light laugh. He wasn’t nearly as worried. He knew that Peter hadn’t slept much the night before as he was anxcited (yes Peter had started using that phrase in serious conversation) about the mission, so the boy was catching up. Besides, after his earlier incident Tony wasn’t too upset with the quiet in the car. 

That was until Steve had to fill it. “Are you alright now.. after earlier?”

“Yeah I’m fine.” Tony shrugged lightly with a soft but confident smile; hoping- no, _praying_ that would be the end of the conversation. 

But no such luck. 

Steve gave Tony a guilty smile of his own. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe you at first it’s just you’ve never-“

Tony didn’t have a choice, he had to cut him off. He was already painfully aware of what had happened, he didn’t need to be reminded of how unStarklike he’d behaved, he had the ghost of his dad sitting in the vacant back seat reminding him- he didn’t want to be coddled. Not that it mattered if Steve believed him anyway, it wasn’t as though he intended to make a habit of it. It was a one off, a fluke, it had never happened before and it was most certainly never going to happen again. “I know, it’s not a big deal babe. Honestly I just did it to make you and bubs feel better.”

“Hmm sure.” Steve rolled his eyes at the claim. 

Tony scowled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You were obviously bursting.”

“No I wasn’t.”

“Then why did you pull over?”

“Because it was uncomfortable I didn’t wanna wait, I could have.”

“Sure honey.” Steve sighed flippantly. 

“Thanks for agreeing with me, _honey.”_ Tony growled, gritting his teeth and ignoring the burning sensation on his cheeks. How Steve had the audacity to comment on his need being desperate when he was the one who- then Tony remembered. Steve had taken a particular interest in him when he was relieving himself. A bit more than their usual glances when they were occupying the bathroom at the same time. “Besides you were staring at me enough to notice, care to talk about that?” 

“Jerk.” Steve muttered grumpily though his face was flaming. He most certainly did not want to talk about that. “Your kidneys don’t hurt do they?”

‘No worse than usual.’ Tony thought but he made sure not to voice that. “No, they’re fine. How’s your bladder?”

“Sore.” Steve admitted reluctantly with a small grimace. He was shifting every so often, of course Tony had noticed, but it wasn’t an active pee dance; it was more indicative that he was trying to relieve some deep internal pain and Tony had seen Steve through enough UTI’s to be able to tell the difference. 

“Yeah?” Tony frowned sadly and reached over to rub the other man’s stomach gently. Steve whimpered though he didn't move away so Tony knew the action was helping. “I’m sorry baby, we’ll be there soon.”

Steve couldn’t wait, he honestly couldn’t wait. He was going to take full advantage of the unbridled access to a toilet he was going to have over the next 14 hours. “I know, it’s okay, it’s my own fault.” 

“It isn’t.” Tony sighed. He knew where this conversation was headed. 

“It is. I should’ve just had you pull over sooner.”

“God you sound like the kid- you were anxious, you were embarrassed, that’s not your fault.”

“Even you managed to say when it got too much though, I pushed it until I hurt myself.”

“It was hard enough for me to admit, Stevie, trust me I get it.” Tony admitted. Maybe he understood a little bit more now why his pair of passengers got so shy about saying when they had to go. They were just the two opposite extremes- Tony could wait forever so he forced himself to or expected himself to and Steve and Peter couldn’t wait very long at all but still tried to. They were all equally idiotic, Tony didn’t mind agreeing to that. “I should’ve pulled over and made you go instead of letting you be a stubborn little bitch.”

“In front of Peter? I’m glad you didn’t.” Steve shuddered just wondering what that would’ve looked like. After a moment he sighed, reaching a compromise since not only did he not want to think about all the mistakes he’d made that day, but he didn’t want to argue with Tony anymore. Even if it wasn’t a real argument, he didn’t have the energy for their usual nitpicky banter; which went to show how uncomfortable he was. If he didn’t even have the energy for their usual dynamic he must have felt really unwell. “It’s no ones fault, I just hate road trips.”

“I know, love, I know.” Tony muttered gently stroking the back of the man’s hand with his thumb. “At least we’ll have a couple days respite with the stake out- maybe I can badger Nick into arranging us a flight home.”

“If my stomach’s gonna hurt like this all weekend he might have to.” Steve said with a groan. Hell he’d take a commercial flight at this rate, even if he was too big to fit into the plane bathrooms. He leaned forward in his seat, pressing a hand into his abdomen, trying to use pressure to relieve the pain; but all he succeeded in doing was causing a leak to suddenly escape him- a leak that burned, even though his body had previously given him no indication that his bladder was even full. 

“Is it that bad?” Tony winced, taking in Steve’s posture. 

Steve debated telling the truth- at least the whole truth- but he didn’t want to be anymore of an inconvenience. He couldn’t afford to get sick, not now, and certainly not in that way. They were heading for a forty eight hour stake out, and whilst of course they’d be given breaks at some point, it wasn’t like Steve could run to and from the toilet every two minutes like he usually had to when he had a bladder infection. That just wasn’t logistically possible. He just hoped that he’d be able to somewhat clear it up overnight, so long as he didn’t hold it too long again and drank plenty; that way he could avoid telling Tony. Not that he thought the man would be upset with him, not at all; but Tony did have a bit of a tendency to totally baby him when he didn’t feel well. Which he usually had no qualms with- but not when they were on a mission and most certainly not when they were on a mission with Peter. 

So instead he shook his head and offered Tony a weak smile. “I’ll be okay, I just need to flush my system out.”

“Okay then that's number one on the agenda when we get there.” Tony nodded seriously. He could tell Steve was being optimistic and he couldn’t blame him. He hoped it would be an easy fix too, if only for the blond’s sake. “Well maybe number two.”

Steve looked quizzically at Tony, wondering why his situation had been dropped in the ranks; when he followed the bearded man’s eyeline to the back of the car. “Number one is getting sleepyhead wrangled into bed without waking him up.”

Which actually wasn’t that hard since Peter slept like the dead. He didn’t even flinch when Tony scooped him up- though Tony did when he noticed Steve smiling at him. Quickly followed by a scowl. “Shut up.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Steve hummed. 

“You didn’t need to.” Tony grumbled as he shifted Peter on his shoulder. The kid was lucky he was light or Tony would’ve left him sleeping in the damn car. 

He let Steve go and retrieve their room key, as the man used his magical baseball cap to conceal his appearance. Once they’d got it and headed into the elevator, the second the doors shut Steve immediately started dancing again; only this time he didn’t even try to conceal it which Tony thought was just a _teensy_ bit funny. Even though he knew he shouldn’t laugh, he couldn’t keep himself from chuckling. 

“Stop it Tony, this isn’t funny.” Steve whined as he grabbed himself, for once having no regard how he looked. He just wanted to alleviate the sudden urge long enough for them to get to their room. 

“It was just the timing baby, I’m sorry.” Tony said, still chuckling but he at least sounded apologetic. He rubbed Steve’s back as he continued to pace the elevator, right up until the doors opened and he practically shot out into the hallway. 

He’d temporarily managed to pry his hands away from his crotch but that was only so he could help Tony grab their bags. 

But the brunette turned him away, waving his hand down the hallway, encouraging Steve to go ahead without them. “I’ve got them, you go.”

“But-“

“Stevie it’s a couple of backpacks and a briefcase, _go.”_

Despite Tony not listing Peter as a part of his cargo, Steve couldn’t stand there and wait for the man to give in. Even though he was sure his bladder was empty when he’d left the front desk by the time he’d gotten into the elevator it was practically screaming. Maybe it was just the prospect of knowing he’d be near a toilet soon, he wasn’t sure, but his abdomen suddenly went into overdrive trying to force whatever liquid was in there out. And whilst it certainly didn’t feel full he could feel there was enough urine inside him to cause an embarrassing mess if he stood around waiting any longer than absolutely necessary. 

He sped down the hallway, skidding to a stop when he accidentally passed their door. Once he was stood in front of it his desperation somehow increased tenfold, which he hadn’t even thought possible. Even though he was standing right there he couldn’t do anything about it, he was too busy cementing his hands in his crotch trying desperately to bargain with his bladder for just five more seconds of control. The bathroom was right there- just give him a damn minute! 

He had to forcefully pry one of his hands away to get the key card out of his pocket and swipe it; only when he did he wasn’t rewarded with a click and a green light. The lock didn’t change and the light stayed red. He swiped it again, still nothing, and just as he was about to scream he saw Tony shuffling down the hallway. 

Tony stared at him for a moment, drinking in the scene. Had he not known about the blond’s budding bladder infection he would’ve laughed his ass off. But he did know and now he was concerned why Steve wasn't running into the room and pissing to his hearts (and bladders) content. “Why aren’t you-“

“I don’t have time for sarcasm Tony just get it open.” Steve grunted, unable to explain further though he was pretty sure Tony didn’t need an explanation; he had eyeballs. 

“Okay okay calm down lemme just-“ 

“ _Please!”_

“I’m working on it!” Tony whisper-yelled. He had to try and drop the bags without dropping Peter too, then push Steve out of the way without making him loose control of his bladder- all whilst Steve was whining in his ear and dancing like a three year old. It was a slightly stress inducing situation. “There now go.” 

It didn’t take Tony two seconds to figure out that Steve had been swiping the card the wrong way; and he stepped out of the way expecting Steve to barrel past him and into the room. But he didn’t. 

“Steve?” When he turned back to look at him (with great difficulty whilst trying not to drop Peter) Steve was standing rigidly, fists clenched around the bunched up fabric on his thighs. And despite his urgency he wasn’t moving, he stayed frozen, staring at the ground, not even looking at Tony when he spoke. “Stevie? Baby what’s-“

“I can’t.” Steve manages to mutter out, his voice shaking and barely audible. 

“What do you mean you can’t?”

“I can’t move, I’m gonna, it’s- I ca-an’t.” 

“Shit.” Tony sprang forward, automatically going to help him- but his arms were full. “Gimme two seconds.”

He ran into the room and gently deposited Peter on the double bed as it was the closest surface, the boy still having yet to even flinch. He threw the bags haphazardly and ran back out into the hallway to hopefully assist Steve’s shuffle to the bathroom. Only when he got to the doorway he realised he didn’t need to get there quite so urgently any more. 

Steve was standing there, his knees trembling though his thighs weren’t pressed together anymore. Hence why Tony could see the wet trail slowly snaking down them. 

He was only wet down to the knee on one side since his bladder hadn’t been full but once it started there wand the any stopping it. Steve couldn’t have stopped it if he tried- but he didn’t. He just stood there, frozen in disbelief and watched as the crotch of his jeans grew darker and his lower extremities flooded with warmth. It didn’t take long for his bladder to fully empty, but even once it had voided its contents he didn’t feel any relief; the overworked muscle continued to cramp and convulse, causing the intense burning ache he’d been feeling in the car to get even worse. Even once the cramping stopped, Steve was still too stunned to doing anything. He was aware that he was still in the middle of the brightly lit hallway, where anyone could happen upon him, but he didn’t have the wherewithal to step over the threshold into their room. All he could do was shake and try not to cry.

“Oh honey.” Tony muttered, rushing forward and cupping a hand on the blond’s cheek. “Come on, love, go take a shower yeah? You’ll feel better.”

“I- I didn’t mean t..” Steve stammered before trailing off. He was painfully aware how he sounded, he knew he sounded like a pathetic little kid but he just couldn’t comprehend what had just happened. Out of seemingly nowhere he’d gone and wet himself, completely, not even two steps from a bathroom. He was tired and in pain and he couldn’t- he didn’t- “It was right there, Tony.” 

“I know, but we left it too long, that’s all. It happens sweetheart, you’re not well, don’t worry about it. Come on.” Tony shushed him as Steve started to sob quietly. Sensing he was shutting down he was quick to push him along, gently guiding him inside the bathroom and shutting both doors behind them. Wordlessly he sat Steve down on the closed lid of the toilet and set about stripping him of his soiled clothes. It wasn’t exactly an unfamiliar routine, and Tony was well versed in taking other people’s clothes off, so it didn’t take him long at all to get Steve covered in a slightly too small bathrobe. Once he was comfortable Tony turned on the shower to heat up before he crouched down in front of him, using the blond’s discarded t-shirt to dry his eyes.

Steve had stayed silent through the whole process, a steady trail of tears streaming down his face as he allowed Tony to help him. He knew the action should only make him feel more disgusted with himself, having his partner take care of him in such an intimate way, but it had the opposite effect. It was comforting, but now he was crying because he felt guilty about enjoying the comfort, bad about Tony having to do it in the first place and weak because he didn’t have the capacity to do it for himself in that moment. And he had to admit he was feeling just a little bit sorry for himself. 

But Tony understood all that, he didn’t need to say it. Tony didn’t feel the need to say anything either, silently going through the steps, only breaking the silence once Steves tears had tapered off. 

“You okay?” He asked softly, his voice calm and neutral. He knew from experience not to be overly coddling, it would only upset Steve more. Instead he did his best to sound normal, despite the abnormality of the situation. 

“Yeah I just...yeah.” Steve mumbled. He couldn’t formulate a more articulate response, but thankfully Tony didn’t expect him to. 

With a small sad smile Tony brushed his hair back away from his face before he stood up. “I’m gonna run out and get you some juice alright? You okay to watch out for pipsqueak while I’m gone?”

“Yeah of course I’m- you don’t have to do that-“

“Shh.” Tony said flippantly as he took hold of Steve’s hands and pulled him to his feet. 

Steve’s brows furrowed and he pouted, even as Tony had him step into the shower. “Don’t Shh me.”

“Then Shh.” Tony repeated one the same tone, leaving no room for argument as he kissed Steve before quickly shutting the shower screen door. “I’ll be right back.”

And Tony was right back, not that Steve knew that. The super soldier took his time in the shower, letting the hot water wash away a multitude of sins his bladder had caused that day. The heat helped soothe his sore muscles somewhat, though it didn’t take away the internal sting he was feeling everytime he so much as breathed. What was worse was how irritated his skin was after sitting in wet clothes half the day, which was only exacerbated by the water; but he ignored it in favour of hiding out in the shower and forgetting his problems for a while. If forgetting his problems meant crying and berating himself whilst Tony wasn’t there to stop him. 

Tony took the time Steve was hiding out to get Peter into his own bed and comfier clothes. The room was comprised of two beds, a double and a single. He wondered for a moment what the best arrangement would be; he and Peter had shared beds before, it had never been an issue (other than the boy's constant fidgeting keeping him awake- that and the little shit had accused him of snoring- _him!_ Anyway-) and obviously Steve would be comfortable sharing with him but...he wasn’t sure. Steve was pretty deadset on not telling Peter about their relationship yet (even though Tony was 90% the kid already knew- but whatever) and he didn’t want the blond to be uncomfortable sharing with him with the kid in the room. That being said if he shared with Peter, the boy would insist on sleeping next to the wall and Tony would get woken up every five minutes so the kid could get up. Not only did he not want his own sleep disturbed, but he wanted to make sure the kid could get up without worrying. 

After about a second Tony shrugged. He couldn’t be bothered to think about every little eventuality, if Steve came out of the bathroom and protested he’d swap the kid out again. No big deal. But for now he quickly got Peter changed into his pajamas and tucked him in the single bed by the window. 

Just as he was tucking the boy's old worn teddy bear under his arm, Steve came out of the bathroom and witnessed him gently brushing the boy’s hair back. “There we go, sleep tight Underoos.” 

“Aw.” Steve cooed audibly, which only earned him a death glare. 

“Shut the fuck up.” Tony snapped harshly, pointing his finger at Steve accusingly. “And you didn’t see the bear, got it?”

“Got it.” Steve said, holding his hands up defensively; he made sure to pretend he was intimidated by the threat but internally he was still grinning. 

“Good.” Tony huffed, clearly flustered having been caught being so..cute. Blergh. Though his voice quickly softened again when he switched back into caring mode; only this time it wasn’t for Peter. “Now how’s your tummy?” 

“Okay, I guess.” Steve sighed, gently cupping the swollen organ protectively. He’d just spent the last ten minutes in the bathroom sitting on the toilet trying to force every drop of pee out he could until his bladder finally agreed that he could move safely without peeing on the floor (again). Whilst it was no longer constantly convulsing it was still sore, like a deep throbbing bruise and now he was starting to feel just ever so slightly feverish. He hoped it was just from having the shower too warm, but the vague nausea and dizziness set in too and he was praying he hadn’t given himself an infection. Please let it just be a strain. 

The whole affair had left him exhausted, emotionally and physically after a whole day of narrowly avoiding accidents only to have one right as they got to their room- he was incredibly sleepy. 

And Tony could tell, hence why he didn’t chastise him for lying and instead offered a much more positive solution. He gestured to the empty spot on the bed next to him. “Would cuddles help?”

“Yes, but you know we-“ Steve started. He was already stressed about sharing a bed with Peter in the room, as Tony had chosen to give the teen his own bed. Though he knew the boy wouldn’t think anything of it since it made the most sense out of all the arrangements. He’d usually share with his mentor but since he was already asleep putting him in the single so he didn’t get jostled and woken up again was better but- Steve just felt weird. Exposed almost. He felt vulnerable enough. 

In fact he felt very vulnerable..and he really wanted a hug..But if Peter woke up in the night and he and Tony were snuggling..

Ah screw it. “Yes.”

“Come here you.” Tony grinned, opening his arms for Steve to duck under. Despite his reservations Tony was happy to note when Steve practically melted into him. Actually he almost literally melted. “Hm.”

“Hm?” Steve hummed back questionly, not lifting his head up from where it was burrowed in the other man’s chest. 

“You’re a little warm.” Tony said quietly, pressing the palm of his hand onto Steve’s forehead. 

Steve let out a gentle sigh at the action, reaching up and pulling Tony’s hand off of his face that was now covering his eyes. “I took some Tylenol, I’ll be okay.”

“Hmm, you better be.” Tony muttered grumpily before he kissed the top of this head and brushed his hair out of his eyes lovingly. If only the reaction had had the desired effect and not pushed Steve over the edge again. “And you better not be crying.”

“I’m not?” Steve said shakily, his voice thick with emotion again. Tony didn’t even need to glance down to know there were fat baby tears running down his cheeks again. 

“Stevie, sweetheart, no.” Tony sighed and sat up a little, pulling Steve somehow even closer. Though verbally he sounded harsh and disparaging, his tone and demeanour were nothing but sympathetic. Even as he was questioning the man he was rubbing his back and squeezing him for all it was worth. “None of that, come on. What you crying for?”

“Because I just peed my pants, Tony!” Steve cried incredulously. Did he really need to be reminded of that fact? He was there after all and what else would he be crying about? Though come to think of it there were a few reasons..

“So?” Tony asked genuinely, making Steve gawk even more. 

“What do you mean so?!”

“No body saw.” Tony shrugged. 

“You did.”

The brunette let out a low laugh, making his chest rumble against Steve’s ear. “Do I really count?”

“I guess not but- but Peter could have.” Steve sniffled. 

“Peter’s in a coma after eating those four bags of m&m’s, I don’t think he saw anything.”

“That’s not the pint Tony, what if he’d been awake- did you say four?!” Steve hissed. “Why did you let him eat that much?!”

“Kept him quiet.” Tony shrugged, looking over at the boy now sleeping soundly. Sure the artificial colours and sugar had given him a rush, but he quickly crashed again, no harm done. Besides, it was hard to tell the difference between hyperactive-Peter, sugar high-Peter and nervous-Peter at the best of times; and Tony was pretty sure he’d been a mixture of all three throughout the day, so why not let the little sweet tooth get his fix? “I’m a weekend guardian, gotta let him have some fun. Especially after I kept him cooped up in the car all day. May never lets him eat candy, I wanna be the fun pare-“

Tony cut himself off and Steve felt him stiffen slightly. He resisted the urge to give Tony a knowing smile as he wasn’t in the mood to tease him anymore. They’d all had enough of that for one day. 

Tony shook himself off and continued. “Though I’ve gotta say, I thought if anyone was gonna wet his pants today, it was gonna be him.”

“Don’t wish that on him.” Steve frowned, slapping Tony’s chest lightly. 

“I’m not.” He laughed. “Believe me I’m not, he’d never talk to you again if that happened.”

“But I thought he was getting better around us now?” Steve said sadly. In fact he looked even sadder than when he’d been crying. He couldn’t bare the thought of Peter being too embarrassed to talk to him now, especially after everything they’d been through- that day alone. 

“He is but-“ Tony quickly tried to assure him, but it was hard to find the right words. “He’s even shyer than you when it comes to bathroom stuff Steve. He had an accident in front of Thor once and the only reason he got over it was because Thor literally would not leave him alone until he got him to laugh. Like Peter kept trying to hide behind me but Thor yeeted me out of the fucking way to hug him and wouldn’t let go until he stopped getting upset. If it happened in front of someone who actually respects boundaries it would’ve set him back pretty far.”

Tony didn’t have to find the right words, Steve knew exactky how Peter felt. No, literally exactly. Not two months after they’d all officially become a team Steve and Thor had ended up trapped somewhere and after...the inevitable happened, Steve swore he’d never look at the god again. But Thor did not accept that reality and substituted his own, continuously badgering Steve with an obnoxious amount of support; even going as far to deliberately wet himself too to make Steve feel better- despite the other blond having said ‘no, don’t do that’ at least eighteen times. It was sweet, stupid and overall summed Thor up, so what Tony described didn’t surprise him in the slightest. 

Still that didn’t mean the experience wasn’t mortifying. Just because they’d happened to have an accident in front of one of the best people to have an accident in front of; Steve could imagine Peter was still humiliated by the experience and he felt the utmost empathy. “Poor baby.”

“Hmm. He’s fine. For now let me worry about my other poor baby.” Tony said quickly, wanting to end the conversation. Mostly because he didn’t want Steve to continue dwelling but he also felt a stab of guilt for telling one of Peter's secrets. Even if he knew it was more than safe to do so he still felt bad- but he’d beat himself up for that later. For now he had to make sure his other super person wasn’t about to expire on him. “Drink your juice. I got Bruce on standby to fax us over some antibiotics but you’re gonna have to do a sample first so he can calculate the dose. It might take a day or two to find a pharmacy that will take it but-“ 

Steve shut Tony up in the best way he knew how; by kissing him. “Thank you.” 

“You can thank me by not crying anymore. You know I hate it.” Tony frowned, both at being interrupted and the bloodshot blue eyes currently staring back at him. 

“Oh well I’m so sorry.” Steve laughed, albeit snottily. 

“You should be.”

The pair laid there comfortably for the rest of the night. Well, semi comfortably. As comfortable as they could get between Steve making mad dashes for the toilet every fifteen minutes or so. After force feeding him juice Tony force fed him some dinner too, then they occupied their time watching a movie before they decided to head to bed themselves.

Watching a film was difficult when the flow of the movie was broken after almost every scene when Steve had to get up, but Tony didn’t mind. Even though he wasn’t complaining, Steve himself was getting more than frustrated with his constant breaks. At the halfway point he decided enough was enough. His system was more than flushed by now, and whilst he knew he shouldn’t be holding it, every time he’d gotten up there was only a dribble of pee in him anyway. It was hardly like he was holding a full bladder in, so he decided to hold I until the end of the movie. 

Only his bladder disagreed- and so did Tony for that matter. As soon as Steve started shifting again he paused the film, waiting for the soldier to get up. When he didn’t he just stared at him, ignoring his reasoning for trying to stave it off and pushed him out of the bed. 

They made sure to cuddle just a little bit more casually in case Peter stirred; which he did, but not for any normal reason.

Steve was the one who noticed first when Peter's face twitched. It wasn’t a lot at first, just a small quirk in his otherwise peaceful expression. Since Steve was seated closer to him, Tony didn’t realise, not until the twitches got more pronounced; accompanied by a few quiet whines catching in boys throat as his legs started kicking. 

When the boys breathing quickened and he started gripping the sheets, white knuckled, Steve sat up. “Peter? Are you-“

“Lay down.”

“Hey!” Before Steve could do or say anything else Tony climbed over him, pushing his chest and forcing him back into the mattress. 

“Just do it.” Tony menacingly and gestured for Steve to shut his eyes. Steve obliged, albeit reluctantly, and Tony wasted no time rushing over to Peter’s side. “Hey, hey hey, bubs wake up.”

“Mm.” Peter half sat up as soon as Tony's shadow looked over him, half in a panic. His eyes focused quickly and once he realised it was his mentor who had suddenly sat on his bed he relaxed slightly. 

“You okay?” Tony asked gently, rubbing the boys arm in an attempt to help him wake up and acclimate. He braced himself to administer emergency hugs but fortunately the boy looked okay. A bit confused but okay. 

“Mhm.” Peter murmured as he sat up fully, rubbing his eyes and leaning against his mentor accepting the hug anyway. 

And Tony was more than happy to give it to him, wrapping an arm around the boys shoulders and letting him use him for support whilst he tried to get his breathing back to normal. “Was that a bad one?”

Peter blinked blearily looking around the room as he decided on his answer. “The start of one.” 

“Yeah?” Tony asked rhetorically, cuddling the boy a little bit closer and running his hand through his wild hair. He held him for a minute, swaying him ever so slightly whilst Peter shook off the remnants of whatever nightmare he was having; he waited for the boy to fully relax before he addressed him again.“You sure you’re okay?”

The teen nodded, though he still looked uncomfortable. “Uh huh I’m- Uhm. Where’s the bathroom?” 

Tony quickly jumped up to get out of his way and pointed him in the right direction. “That door there, bud, your toothbrush and stuff is already by the sink.”

“Thank you.” Peter said as he rushed in with a small squeak. After peeing washing his handsand his face, he appeared back in the doorway still brushing his teeth. “Hey who changed my clothes?”

“I did- I wouldn’t have let Steve do it would I?” Tony rolled his eyes; sounding almost insulted at the idea he’d let anyone touch the boy whilst he was asleep. 

“Meh, I wouldn’t have cared. Steve’s safe.” Peter shrugged. From where he was pretending to be asleep Steve smiled, glad to be noted by the boy as one of his safe people; but as heartwarming as the notion was, he couldn’t help but hope the interaction would be done soon from because he was starting to need to pee again. “And let’s be honest he’s a lot stronger than you so I figured-“

“Alright alright- tell that to the guy who had to carry you in from the car.” Tony laughed, watching the boy’s cheeks pinken. 

“You coulda just woken me up.”

“Trust me I couldn’t have. I had to check you were still breathing twice. Go back to sleep you little punk.” 

Peter stuck his tongue out at the man when he ruffled his hair and finished up rinsing his mouth out; only when he reappeared he looked slightly more sheepish. “Hey uh..Tony? Did you uhm..did you bring my bag in or-“

“Bear’s already in bed with you and your meds are on the nightstand.” Tony said without missing a beat. 

“Oh, thank you.” Peter said with a small sigh of relief. “Steve didn’t see her, did he..?”

“You think I’d let that happen? He might steal her.” 

Peter made a little whiny noise making Tony chuckle. He didn’t dare say that Steve had comfort items of his own that he’d neglected to bring; namely a pillow wearing one of Bucky's T-shirts. “Goodnight kid.”

Peter yawned as he crawled back under the blanket Tony was holding open for him. “Nunight. Make sure you sleep too, okay?” 

“I will, don’t you worry about me.” 

“It’s our job.” 

Tony scowled in the darkness at that comment. How everyone always decided collectively that he was the one who needed looking after- when he spent all of his time looking after everyone else, was beyond him. 

Namely Steve who was currently wiggling. “He’s asleep, you can g-“

“Oh thank god!” 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just an iddy biddy baby chapter

It was pretty early when Peter woke up, too early for most teenagers to even  _ think  _ about being awake on a Saturday; but he was more than used to it. Even before all the superhero stuff happened he was an early riser- though that hadn’t always been by choice. In his earlier years it had been so he could get himself cleaned up and ready for school, but now it was just a habit. So he wasn’t surprised when he rolled over to see that it was only five in the morning. And he wasn’t surprised that he’d woken up bursting to pee. 

But what did surprise him was the fact that the shower was running. 

He sat bolt upright, his hands flying to his crotch. Who in their right mind would be in the shower already? And follow up question- where the hell was he?

After peering around the room, trying to get eyes to adjust to the darkness, he soon realised where he was and who he was with- which momentarily made him relax. That was until he looked over to the other bed; at it first too dark to tell who the figure was, then Peter realised it was Tony. Then the panic set in.

That meant Steve was in the shower and he couldn’t knock or barge in on the man like he would with Tony. He just couldn’t. Not only was he still embarrassed after yesterday’s affair, even if it wasn’t just him, he knew Steve was shyer than Tony. He didn’t want to rush him. No one liked being rushed and Steve was so nice he didn’t want to be a nuisance or annoying. 

But he was  _ dying  _ to pee. He’d only woken up, what, once in the night to go?  _ And  _ he woke up dry? That was practically unheard of, he was already pushing it by not immediately jumping out of bed. He knew he needed to jump out of bed now if he wanted it to stay dry but- what could he do? He was scared to knock and he didn’t wanna wake Tony up to ask if he can go in the lobby- to be honest there wasn’t time to. He’s always dying when he first wakes up and that morning was no exception, there was no way he’d make it down the hall let alone down the stairs. 

He bit his lip and squirmed against the mattress. All of a sudden even the few steps to the bathroom looked impossible- even if it had been vacant. Despite all his wiggling he could feel his resolve slipping, his bladder relaxing and urine starting to seep out of him. 

And then he saw it. 

Tony’s travel mug. 

No he shouldn’t- he won’t- he can’t do that. Tony would  _ murder him.  _ But then again..he could totally clean it before the man woke up. But what if Steve came out and saw him?

_ Better be quick then.  _

No sooner had he snatched the flask off of the nightstand and shoved it under the covers, his bladder fully gave up; so it was good that he’d  _ just  _ managed to get himself situated. Oh  _ thank god.  _

That was close, far too close for comfort- and what made it even more uncomfortable was the fact that as soon as he was finished the bathroom door opened.

Thankfully Steve didn’t catch on to Peter’s mad scrambling. He didn’t see the boy dart across the room to replace the flask where it had previously been, and he didn’t see Peter dive back under the covers in a dashed attempt to look natural. All he saw was the sheepish smile and wave the teen gave him when he stepped out into the room. 

“Hey buddy, I didn’t wake you did I?” Steve asked quietly, as he noted Tony was still snoring. He felt bad that he’d rushed into the bathroom first that morning without giving Peter a chance to go before him, Evan had the teen been sleeping. But his budding bladder infection had him leaking into his pajamas before he made it himself and he’d just had to shower. He hoped the boy hadn’t been waiting on him long, but luckily he didn’t look to be in dire need of the toilet himself. 

“Nah I’ve been up a while.” Peter said as casually as he could muster. 

“Tony’s still out?” Steve asked, peering at the lump under the covers. He was half waiting for the man to suddenly yell to make him jump, but Peter nodded to his question. “Wow, this is the latest he’s slept in for ages.”

“Well I hope he doesn’t sleep in much longer because I’m starving.” 

Steve chuckled, knowing Peter was only being half dramatic. He hadn’t eaten dinner the night before after all. “Thank god for room service huh?” 

The smell of food, or perhaps the bustling of trays woke Tony up. He sat up staring blearily at Steve before groaning and wiping a hand over his face. 

“Mm what the fuck.” He murmured, continuing to blink himself awake; it was less of a question more an exclamation at being awake. 

“And a good morning to you too, Tony.” Steve chuckled as the man rolled over until he was face down in the pillow. 

“Mm coffee.” Tony mumbled, only turning enough so he was able to look at the cup he knew was for him, making grabby hands at it. 

“Ah ah.” Steve said as he moved it even further away. “Food first, then coffee.”

Tony growled lowly and put his face back into the pillow. “Bitch.” 

“Mr. Stark.” Peter chuckled disapprovingly. 

Tony whipped his head around to give Peter a glare before he realised who it was. Then he sighed through his nose and relaxed again, though he didn’t look any happier. “Oh you’re here.” 

“Wow thanks very much!” Peter laughed as Tony sat up like a vampire. Tony repaid the boy by messing up his hair as he stood up and shuffled uncoordinatedly towards his backpack to get his day clothes. 

“Tony you have to eat.” Steve continued, watching the genius’ nose crinkle at the sight of his breakfast. 

But Tony shook his head. “Shower first. Then eat.”

“Then will you talk in full sentences?” Peter giggled. He’d never seen his mentor so dishevelled; but the boy wasn’t to know that Tony had been woken up almost every half an hour during the night. Still, he’d seen Tony on three days with zero sleep, so the sight of him struggling to wake up was still amusing. 

“Shut up.” Tony grumbled, poking his tongue out at his protégé. He quickly grabbed a change of clothes, pausing before he headed into the bathroom. “Either of you need to pee before I go in?” He asked with a yawn, to which they both shook their heads. Tony wasn’t quite convinced. “Are we sure?”

“Yes Tony we aren’t three year olds.” Steve sighed, his cheeks flaming when he realised Tony was emphasising the question towards  _ him  _ as opposed to Peter. 

Though Peter was clearly disgruntled too. He made a show of crossing his arms over his chest. “Yeah, Mr. Stark, Jesus.”

Tony frowned. He wasn’t even teasing them, he was genuinely trying to make sure he wasn’t responsible for another uncomfortable situation. But fine, have it your way kids. “Oh I’m sorry? I’ll remember that the next time one of you is  _ begging  _ me to pull over.”

Scoffing at the other man Steve rolled his eyes and settled in to finish his own breakfast. The audacity. Sure, he’d had a few emergencies the day before, but that was because there wasn’t a restroom readily available and- okay, well, the evening didn’t count alright? And- and yes okay maybe he should have gone in the lobby before he came upstairs, but he hadn’t needed to go then! Just like he didn’t need to go before Tony went into the bathroom. 

That was until he heard the running water. 

He must have pulled a face because Peter immediately picked up on it. “Are you okay?” 

The man turned, blushing at how quickly Peter had noticed his discomfort. “Yeah I just- forgot something.” 

Thankfully Peter shrugged it off; taking Steve’s mediocre excuse for what it was as the man busied himself messing with his phone. That or maybe the boy was preoccupied inhaling pancakes, Steve wasn’t sure; but he was sure that if Tony took any longer than his usual ten minutes in the bathroom he was going to have a serious problem on his hands. 

Thankfully the burning sensation wasn’t nearly as strong as it was the night before, but that didn’t mean his bladder wasn’t filling at an alarming rate. He went from feeling absolutely nothing to being positively bursting in a matter of minutes. 

By the time Tony got out the shower Steve was practically rushing in, though he tried his best to look casual he was obviously desperate. Which one would think would make Tony move out of his way immediately- but it didn’t. In fact the brunette made a point of hanging around in the doorway, pretending to be perplexed by Steve standing in front of him.

“Huh?” Tony blinked, looking confused though Steve  _ knew  _ he was just being an asshole. 

“Tony will you-“ Steve sighed and tutted when Tony didn’t make any attempts to move. He didn’t want to seem as desperate as he felt, he’d been trying to be a little surreptitious even though he’d practically ran to the bathroom as soon as the doorknob turned. 

“What?” Tony cocked his head, sidestepping just as Steve did so the blond couldn’t slip by him. 

Steve sighed again, only this time he lost his composure. “Move it!”

“Oh, you want in here?” Tony said innocently, pointing behind himself but still not moving. 

“Yes I- Ugh!” 

Tony allowed himself to be pushed out of the way (not that he would’ve had much chance of stopping Steve but- meh) and giggled evilly to himself. Sure it was mean but he wasn’t going to push it to any serious extent, not when the man was sick and certainly not in front of Peter. Besides, maybe it was just a teensy bit of payback for the sass about his offer earlier. 

Still chuckling to himself, he crossed the room intending to grab his travel mug to go and get himself some coffee from the machine down the hall; since he’d already downed his earlier mug and it simply wasn’t enough caffeine. However as soon as he picked up the metal container Peter freaked out. “No wait don’t touch that!”

“What why?” Tony quirked an eyebrow at his kid’s sudden strange behaviour. Not that Peter didn’t make a habit of suddenly behaving weirdly but- anyway. When he’d picked up the cup he thought it was weird that it was a little full again, but he figured Peter had just gotten some water in the night. However, when he looked down he quickly realised that it wasn’t just water. “Oh  _ ew-  _ Peter!”

Peter groaned and covered his face. So much for disposing of the evidence, he’d been too preoccupied with his pancakes. “I’m sorry! Steve was in the shower when I woke up and I- I couldn’t help it!”

“This was my favourite mug!” Tony whisper yelled back. 

“It’s metal you can wash it!” Peter cried before he burst out laughing. As mortified as he was he couldn’t help but laugh at Tony’s face. The man had handled bottles of his pee before when he was in the hospital without so much as a grimace but now he was acting like he was handling something radioactive. To be fair Peter wasn’t sure if his urine was radioactive but he could ask Bruce about that later. 

“It’s  _ tainted _ \- even if I washed it I’d still know. God- couldn’t you have just peed in that plant pot?” Tony groaned, pointing to the possibly-faux monstera in the corner; which only made Peter wrinkle his nose. 

“Ew!”

“So  _ that’s  _ ew, not defacing my property?!”

“I didn’t wanna hurt the plant!” Peter yelled, inadvertently admitting that the thought had crossed his mind; but he had still chosen Tony’s cup instead. 

“Well you’ve hurt my feelings!” 

Peter shook his head. He knew his mentor wasn’t really mad and if he was he’d get over it quickly. He was rather content with his decision all things considered and his expression showed as much. “I will buy you a new one, Mr. Stark. It was worth it.” 

“You’re a nasty little thing, to think I thought you were cute once upon a time.” Tony hissed, staring disgustedly at his cup. Of course he didn’t really care all that much, he was more surprised that Peter had actually opted with a sensible solution rather than peeing himself. He would’ve gone as far to say a little proud- had it not been in his  _ favourite _ mug. “Oh well; might be worth it to keep it in the car anyway since you and Captain puddles keep insisting on leaving it til the very last second-“

“ _ Hey!”  _ Peter huffed, crossing his arms over his chest. “You did it too.”

“Yeah after a three hour traffic jam, what’s your excuse?”

Peter pouted and grumbled. “A small bladder and social anxiety.”

“That’s right, and it’s not your fault.” Tony couldn’t help but smile softly and pinch the youngsters cheek, only this time he genuinely wasn’t teasing him. And thankfully Peter could tell even if he did shrug the man’s hand off of him with a laugh. “Did you sleep okay?” 

“Uh huh.” 

“No..?” Tony trailed off, gesturing to the bed Peter was sitting on. 

Peter blushed, shaking his head. He knew the man was delicately referring to how he usually has an accident his first time in a new bed. It had been his main fear about the trip in the first place, he didn’t want Steve to find out about his occasional problem. And it was occasional thank you very much! It’s not his fault this particular trip had a lot of his triggers on it- it wasn’t a big deal okay?! 

Tony smiled looking genuinely proud which only made Peter blush more. “That’s great buddy.” 

“Let’s hope it stays that way at the stake out.” Peter mumbled, whimpering slightly. A hotel was one thing but he had no idea what the set up would be at the location. Steve and Tony weren’t sure either, so they hadn’t able to comfort him on the matter- Tony had even mentioned that some of the locations they’d staked (staked? Stoked? Peter wasn’t sure what the proper word was) out in before didn’t even  _ have  _ toilets. Then what was he going to do? 

“We take sleeping in shifts buddy, don’t worry, I’ll keep an eye out, okay?” Tony said gently, patting the boys shoulder. He understood his concerns, of course he did, but the last thing he wanted was Peter not sleeping. And in all honesty? Worst comes to worst he was wearing his suit. Even if he did wet the bed no one would be able to tell. 

“M’kay..” Peter mumbled, clearly still nervous and Tony could tell. 

“Hey.” The man said as he sat down on the edge of the bed besides him. “I’ve got you. Don’t stress.” 

Peter sighed, ducking under the man’s arm. “It’s not just that, I’m worried about the mission in general too.” 

“Trust me it’ll be a piece of cake kid, it’s an easy ride for your first stake out.” Tony said reassuringly. They’d deliberately picked a low risk one for Peter’s first stake out, which was why Nick insisted he bring him- and Tony agreed instead of arguing with him. Not that it would have been much of an argument. Even though Nick had the power to override Tony’s decisions when it came to Peter he would never dare. Unless it was an emergency, if Tony said no to Spidey being there he’d agree with their resident Peter expert. What he said goes. And he said this mission was okay. “You’ve got this, trust me, you’ll do great.” 

Peter nodded encouraged by his mentors words. He knew Tony wouldn’t push him to do anything he couldn’t handle but that wasn’t to say he wouldn’t  _ push him _ . The sign of a good mentor, he tested the boys' limits but never exceeded them, and sometimes Peter needed to get out of his comfort zone. He knew that. Like road trips and nights away we’re  _ way  _ out of his comfort zone, but he had to get used to them. And it was going okay so far. Sure his bladder had let him down a couple times the day before but it hadn’t  _ completely  _ failed him yet; even when he slept so much in the car and for that he was extremely grateful. 

“Go get ready kiddo, put your suit on under your clothes, okay?”

Peter nodded and went off into the bathroom to shower and get changed once Steve re-emerged. 

When he did Tony smiled sweetly at him, as though he hadn’t been messing with him not five minutes before. “Can you grab me some coffee?” 

Peter noted that Tony asked instead of demanded- which was unusual for him. And so were the puppy dog eyes he was giving the other man. 

Steve simply rolled his eyes. “Sure, where’s your mug?”

Tony scowled. “I can’t use that anymore.”

“Huh? Why not?”

“Because  _ someone  _ decided to use it as an impromptu potty last night.” Tony hissed, squinting pointedly at Peter who was looking back at him with a mixture of betrayal and embarrassment. 

But Steve must have missed the looks because his cheeks started flaming indignantly instead. “What? No I didn’t!” 

Tony’s gaze switched so he was staring at his boyfriend instead; resisting the urge to facepalm. “Not  _ you.”  _

“Oh.  _ Ohh.”  _ Thankfully Steve caught on without the need for any more explanation; and he was quick to note the murderous look Peter was giving his mentor. “Ignore him kiddo, you should see the things he pees in when he’s too lazy to get up in the lab-“

“Shut up and get me some coffee.” Tony growled, sounding much more like his usual requests. 

“No no I wanna hear more about this.” Peter grinned. 

“You shut up too- unlike you two when I’m gross it’s out of choice not necessity.” 

“I don’t know.” Steve hummed, clearly unconvinced. “I think choice and laziness are two different things.”

“They are not, I  _ chose  _ to be lazy.” Tony emphasised before turning back to Peter. “Now go and shower Parker, you stink.”

The teen frowned again. “I do not.”

“Do too.”

Steve interjected. “Actually your mug does, you never got around to cleaning it out-“

“Oh  _ ew!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m low-key running out of ideas for what direction this lil fic should go so feel free to leave suggestions or requests 🥺👉👈


	6. Chapter 6

While Peter was in the shower Steve had just come back upstairs from fetching Tony coffee and getting them checked out at the front desk. And he looked like he had to pee. Again. “Is kiddo in the-“

“Shower, yeah. Why didn’t you go downstairs?” Tony cut him off, already getting sick of this. He wasn’t upset about Steve needing the bathroom, obviously, but he was getting frustrated by the man’s constant pushing the need back. He wasn’t a stupid man, he knew his body, he knew the damage he was doing so Tony wasn’t sure why he was so insistent on doing it anyway. What was he trying to prove? Though, he thought with a small shudder, the same could be said about his little incident the day before- but he wasn’t Steve. His body recovered, the blond’s might not if he continued to ignore it the way he was currently.

“Because I was coming back up here.” Steve frowned. He hadn’t thought that was entirely unreasonable but he could hear anger ebbing into his partners voice and the last thing he wanted was another argument about the situation. 

“What’re you standing there for? Go.” Tony rolled his eyes, expecting him to run back downstairs. 

But Steve didn’t want to face the stairs again. The urge wasn’t that bad, but if he had to wait around for the elevator or run down a few flights of stairs he had a feeling that wouldn’t be the case. Instead he sat down on the edge of the bed and ‘casually’ crossed his legs. He shrugged to Tony though he didn’t look the man in the eye. “I’ll wait.”

“No you fucking won’t.” Tony frowned, taking the phone Steve was using to distract himself out of the man’s hands, feeling like the parent of a potty training toddler when he had to reiterate; “Go pee.”

Steve sighed tiredly, like _he_ was the one dealing with a petulant child. “Tony I can wait fifteen minutes.”

“You can, but you ain’t, so get _up-“_ Tony cut himself off by groaning when he tried to push Steve into a standing position; only the blond barely budged, despite Tony exerting all of his effort. “God you’re fucking heavy.” 

“It’s muscle.” Steve pouted as Tony continued to try but fail and push him. 

“Whatever it is, it’s gonna get sicker if you don’t go piss so  _ go.”  _ Tony yelled, loud enough for Steve to have to anxiously check the bathroom door in case Peter heard him. 

With an angry huff he got up and did as he was told, only if it was to shut Tony up. 

By the time Steve got back Peter was out of the shower and they were all ready to leave. Tony was glad he’d had a top up on his coffee because winter had come seemingly overnight. Sure it had been a little bit chilly the day before but now the wind was sharp and biting, slicing his skin when it bellowed around him. But would he wear a jacket? Fuck no. So he stuck to warming himself up with coffee instead. 

The same couldn’t be said for Peter and Steve though. They had the luxury of having their suits on under their clothes, which would naturally keep them insulated; but that didn’t stop the pair from bundling up in an additional three layers of fabric. 

“Oh look it’s the Michelin man and marshmallow boy.” Tony smirked from where he was leaning against the car waiting for them.

“Can it Stark, or I won’t let you borrow my jacket this time.” Steve smiled, enjoying the slight blush that rose to Tony’s cheeks. 

Peter didn’t pick up on the comment. He just continued shuffling to the car and wrapping his blanket around himself. “Toasty marshmallow boy.” 

The plan was to rendezvous with Nick in a neighbouring town to get a full rundown of the situation and the coordinates for the stake out point. They had to be mindful of not being caught travelling between any of the locations since they were close enough to the action, where if they were spotted it might tip off the bad guys; which meant stops of any kind had to be kept to a minimum. They were all aware of that, so other than stopping to get provisions and fill up the tank, depending on the length of the journey, they were going to  _ try  _ not to stop. 

Tony made sure to make it  _ very clear  _ that he didn’t expect Peter or Steve to stick to that if they were uncomfortable; and should they need to stop he’d just find a more secluded area. They had to fill up the tank before their drive anyway, so they both took the opportunity to use the bathroom one last time. Well, Steve did, Peter was insistent that he didn’t need to go again so soon after leaving. 

“I don’t care, go try.” Tony had said sternly, noting Steve cringing with embarrassment out of the corner of his eye. Of course Peter had no way of knowing his older companion  _ did  _ need to go again so soon, but Tony did and he didn’t want Steve to be self conscious. “Besides, you better go grab yourself some more candy and junk, you know Steve won’t let us get that when we’re grabbing supplies.”

Peter stopped arguing at that point and happily ran in to get himself more snacks; Steve followed solemnly behind to discreetly use the bathroom. Again. For what felt like the tenth time that morning already. There was no way they could keep this up all day, it was too dangerous. Not only would they never get to the rendezvous point at this rate, every time they stopped, at a gas station or the side of the road, was just adding more chances for them to be intercepted. He wasn’t about to put them all in danger due to a little discomfort. As he got back in the car he vowed that would be his last stop until someone else had to go too. He hoped in vain to wait until Tony needed to go but he knew that was a long shot; that would’ve been ambitious even if he hadn’t had a UTI and Tony had been drinking tons of coffee all day. Instead he knew he was better off waiting for when Peter had to go- and if the boy was going to drink the slushie Steve just saw him buying that would be sooner rather than later. 

Despite Steve’s plans regarding his situation, it didn’t stop Tony commenting on his obvious discomfort the second he got back in the car. “Is it still that bad?”

“I’m fine Tony.” Steve sighed tiredly. They hadn't a proper chance to talk about it since they woke up, and Steve had sincerely hoped it would stay that way. 

“You were gone a while.” Tony muttered, assuming (correctly so) it was because his bladder was burning and he couldn’t get relief. 

Steve wasn’t about to admit that though and shrugged. “I was just fighting with all the layers.”

“Yeah right.” Tony muttered under his breath, earning himself a glare. Not that he didn’t believe the layer argument, he was just now starting to worry about the potential problems that would cause, especially Peter who didn’t have the luxury of a zipper on his suit. But right now he was more preoccupied with how ill Steve was looking. He didn’t just look uncomfortable anymore, his skin was flushed even more than it had been the previous night. “I’m serious, are you gonna be okay?”

Instead of responding to his boyfriend’s concern Steve continued looking out the window, after Peter making sure the kid wasn’t getting himself into trouble. 

Tony frowned. He wasn’t a fan of the silent treatment, Steve knew that. Especially not when he was actually being nice for once. “Don’t ignore me.”

“You’re ignoring me.” Steve sighed, still not turning his head. 

“No I’m not.” He was doing the exact opposite of that. He was noticing every little cringe and grimace and shift in the man’s movements. Steve was the one ignoring his own body. 

Steve sighed through his nose, hugging his arms over his chest, a clear sign that he was getting frustrated. “Then what did I just say?”

“That you’re fine but-“

“Well then there’s your answer.” Steve snapped. Which by his standards meant softly but firmly interrupting Tony, in that same tired, disinterested tone that drove his partner up the fucking wall. But for once Tony was trying not to rise to it. 

He understood where the bitterness was coming from but that wasn’t to say it was easy not to retaliate. He couldn’t understand how Steve went from all tears and cuddles last night to being snappy and bitchy that morning. Well he did understand it, considering that’s often what he did but- well he didn’t like the inconsistency. “Look, Steve, usually I’d let you do this whole bitchy diva routine, but today it’s not gonna fly. You’re not okay. You’re not gonna make it through this mission if you keep having to piss every two seconds-“

“Stop talking.” Steve said with a bit more bite as he shifted in his seat again. He knew it was psychosomatic but Tony talking about his issue was keeping it constant and present in his mind; where all he could focus on was the burning in his bladder. If Tony didn’t stop talking he was gonna end up having to go pee again and even though he knew that didn’t make sense, it wasn’t fair and it was making him grumpy.

“No I don’t think I will.” Tony hummed thoughtfully, trying to get a smirk out of Steve at the very least- but to no avail. Instead the blond continued to grit his teeth, staring intently out of the window. “Stevie-“

“Tony.” 

Tony sighed, gripping the steering wheel before consciously relaxing again. He was trying to help, be reasonable, find a solution, but today his usually open-book boyfriend had transfigured himself into a brick wall; and he was starting to get a taste of his own medicine. Safe to say he was not a fan. “Look, okay, you’re not gonna like it but I’m gonna say it anyway. If we can’t get you antibiotics did you want to maybe get something else to help with-“

“ _ Something else.”  _ Steve hissed with such ferocity as his head whipped around that Tony almost jumped. 

Almost. 

‘Well, at least he’s looking at me? On second thought maybe that isn’t a good thing.’ “Baby please-“

“Don’t. Baby me.” Steve growled lowly. Had Peter not been in the immediate vicinity Steve would have completely blown his stack at that  _ suggestion. _ But he tried to keep his cool. “I seriously suggest you stop talking.”

Tony chuckled slightly, trying to relieve the tension that was building to uncomfortable levels within the car. He knew he should just shut up but his off button wasn’t working that day. Especially not when Steve was still refusing to acknowledge something that was pretty important; both to the mission and his physical health. “Or what? You’re not that threatening-“

“Oh I’m not?” Steve laughed coldly, using an uncharacteristically sarcastic tone that quite frankly did not suit him. 

“Steve stop it I’m just trying to help.” Tony sighed, finally giving in to his own frustration. He knew it was a bad suggestion but he was trying to be practical. “Besides it’s not like you’ve never had to use them befo-“ Unfortunately Tony didn’t get to finish his sentence as Steve forcefully ejected himself from the car and slammed the door behind him; leaving Tony sat there, utterly gobsmacked. “Steve-  _ Steve!” _

Steve passed by a very confused looking Peter on his way back into the building; the teen turned to look at him as he passed, but Steve rushed past quicker than the boy could speak to him. Peter climbed back into the car, slurping his drink and staring skeptically at his mentor. “What did you do?”

Tony scowled. “Why do you assume that _I_ did anything?”

“Because if Steve was the one who did something you’d be storming off, not him?” Peter said questioningly, not quite reading the room that Tony’s question had been rhetorical.

“Just buckle in.” Tony sighed. Peter did as he was told, and Tony sat there wondering what he was supposed to do now. His thoughts were interrupted by the incessant slurping sound from the backseat. He sighed again and turned around to question the kid. “What the fuck is that?” 

“Blueberry. Or bubblegum. Or blue raspberry- I’m not sure but it’s good.” Peter answered between sucks on the straw, his mouth already stained a bright unnatural shade of blue despite having barely drank a quarter of the cup.

“It’s  _ glowing.”  _ Tony grimaced. He was all for letting the kid eat and drink junk on the weekends he had him but..this was a little excessive. That and it was freezing outside, he had no idea how the kid was able to drink it without shivering. “Like you weren’t radioactive enough before, you’re adding that to the mix?”

“It’s good! Try some!” Peter insisted, holding the cup out for his mentor to take it but Tony just wrinkled his nose.

“No thank you.”

Peter shrugged, clearly unbothered by Tony's disgusted reaction and started happily slurping his drink again. “Then don’t judge.”

“You’re not meant to have artificial colours.” Tony muttered, only half being present in the conversation. He was still staring worriedly at the building where Steve had run off to. 

“Yeah I’m not meant to eat M&M’s either, but that didn’t stop me yesterday.” Peter giggled, and Tony knew full well he meant ‘ _ you didn’t stop me’.  _

“Touché.” Tony sighed. Peter was right he didn’t really have a leg to stand on, he’d just have to deal with May telling him off when he dropped Peter home. Well that was a future Tony problem, now Tony was worried about wether or not Steve was even coming back at this rate. “Come on Steve, can’t you have your little tantrum later?”

Peter frowned. “What did you say to him?”

“Thats none of your concern.” Tony said shortly, shooting a look to the boy in the rearview mirror.

“Well I am concerned.” Peter’s frown deepened. He couldn’t exactly help getting involved when the adults insisted on arguing in such close proximity to him. It wasn’t like he could exactly ignore it. Besides, Tony knew such high levels of emotion made him uncomfortable at the best of times, and now he was stuck with just the pair for the foreseeable future, he didn’t think his involvement was unjust. “Can we maybe not have another civil war right when we have to spend 24 hours a day with each other? Can’t it wait til we get home?”

“Let’s hope so.” Tony sighed. He fully agreed with that sentiment. Thankfully only a few moments later Steve came back, not storming like he had been before, and he looked slightly more calm than he had when he left. Though he was deliberately avoiding eye contact he didn’t ignore Tony when he asked; “You good?”

“Fine.” Steve said shortly, gripping the paper he was holding a little more tightly. He cleared his throat before continuing. “I was asking about the map. Nick called.” 

“Where we headed?” 

The pair didn’t fight too much. Perhaps Steve was avoiding doing so for Peter’s sake, as he was clearly still angry, but Tony was being deliberately nice to him. Besides, they had to be civil enough for Steve to give Tony directions. They were on their way to the debrief with Nick, so he could hand over the battle plans and any tactical information they needed such as villain profiles, weapon details, bomb detection etc; they had to get the encrypted coordinates for the stake out location as they couldn’t be given out wirelessly due to security concerns. That and Tony was convinced that Nick enjoyed making things just a little more complicated. 

They were only about fifty minutes away from the location Nick was at when Steve suddenly paled. “Tony can you pull over please?”

Tony's brows furrowed. The blond hadn’t shown any signs of having to pee at all but he stopped the car without hesitation; somehow managing to refrain from asking any questions, such as ‘what, why?’ Or ‘are you okay?’ because he was pretty sure that would only cause another fight. Steve hopped out wordlessly, rushing over to a nearby bush and disappearing behind it. He was gone for a few minutes, long enough for Tony to worry; both about an impending ambush and Steve being caught in another..predicament. Just as he was about to hop out to call after him Steve reappeared, looking disheveled. 

Despite the air outside being below zero the soldier had a thin sheen of sweat coating him that was visible even from the car. He must’ve felt it too, as he walked back to the car he wiped his forehead on the sleeve of his jacket and reached into his pocket, popping whatever he grabbed into his mouth. When he climbed back into the passenger seat Tony didn’t have the chance to question him, as Peter reacted first.

“Ugh.” Peter immediately groaned and covered his mouth and nose, holding back a gag. 

“What’s the matter?” Tony asked, though he realised quickly what was wrong. His sense of smell wasn’t nearly as sensitive as Peter’s but he too caught a whiff. “Steve are you chewing gum?”

“Yeah?” The blond asked confusedly.

“Spit it out.” Tony said authoritatively- but Steve just looked at him, still confused. “I’m serious- before Peter pukes.”

Steve did so quickly, throwing the gum out of the window though he was still clearly perplexed. “What? Why is he gonna puke?”

“Mint. He doesn’t do well with mint.” Tony said, already shoving a piece of cinnamon gum into Peter’s mouth to counteract the scent. He then handed some to Steve to replace his discarded trident, thinking it was odd. Steve never chewed gum, he always told Tony off for doing so, citing it was bad for his oral health. There was only one reason Tony could think of that he’d suddenly taken up the habit and it worried him; but unfortunately, as it often did, his worry came across more accusational instead. Instead of just asking ‘are you alright? are you feeling nauseous?’, it came out as; “Why’re you chewing gum anyway, you never chew gum?”

As Tony had predicted earlier, Steve wasn’t a huge fan of his actions being questioned, and promptly blew up at him. “Jesus- am I allowed to do  _ anything _ without consulting you first?!” 

The pair immediately started bickering again, Steve managing to avoid the question entirely in favour of having an all out argument instead, and Tony took the bait. Peter took that as his que to put his headphones back in. He didn't take them off again before he saw the fighting die down; and he realised it had only done so because Steve had fallen asleep. 

It took Tony a moment to realise Peter had metaphorically rejoined the room. He was too busy staring angrily at the road ahead of him and muttering to himself. He was interrupted when a small voice piped up from the back of the car.

“Steve smells funny.” 

Tony jumped slightly before looking back at Peter. He sighed. “I know bud, the mint will wear off soon, just try not to think about it.”

“Not the mint. He smells funny.” Peter said, a little more insistently, though he didn’t elaborate.

“What do you mean? What kind of funny?” Tony asked. He quickly glanced at his sleeping partner to make sure he hadn’t peed himself. Then he was starting to think maybe Steve really had thrown up after all, despite denying it whilst they were fighting-  _ he fucking knew it, _ that little shit. Why wouldn’t he just admit he didn’t feel good? Of all the people to lie to, why him?

“I don’t know..” Peter mumbled. He knew it sounded odd, but he couldn’t explain it. “He doesn’t smell  _ of anything,  _ he just smells  _ different.”  _

Tony wasn’t really sure what to do with that information. But he also knew not to disregard the weird things Peter confided in him. The kid had a habit of saying random things that eventually turned out to be incredibly poignant, so he kept it in mind. “Well, it’s probably the hotel soap or something.” 

Peter wasn’t convinced but didn’t know how else to articulate his concerns without sounding insane. He knew what it was, Steve smelled sick, but there was no way he could explain that. Besides, he was 99% sure if he’d managed to pick up on it Tony already had. He didn’t particularly want to cause another argument either. 

And thankfully with Steve resting peacefully, they were able to diffuse the tension. Peter was able to chatter to his mentor about nothing in particular, asking questions about the mission; which Tony had to remind him he wasn’t able to answer yet, but Peter assured him he just wanted him to answer his hypothetical scenarios. Part way through explaining the ins and outs of one of Peter’s fabricated fights, he noticed the boy’s teeth were chattering. 

“You’re so dramatic.” Tony laughed. Sure it was cold, but the kid had his suit, jeans, a T-shirt, a hoodie  _ and  _ a coat on- as well as the blue blanket draped around his shoulders. There was no way he could be that cold. 

“S-s-says you.” Peter stammered as he shivered and drew the blanket even closer around himself. 

“Yeah, says me.” Tony chuckled at the mediocre quip. Though his tone softened when he saw the boy shudder. “You want the heat on for a while?”

“Y-y-yes please.” Peter said, sighing with relief when he felt the fans kick on. It helped his chilled bones warm up and the shivering to stop, but his fingers still felt like ice. He couldn’t stop his eyes from drifting to the steam rising off Tony’s takeaway cup. “Can I have some?”

“Nope.”

“Aw Mr. Stark come on you’ve had like three cups today!” Peter pouted. 

“Yes and I would have had just the one if someone hadn’t sullied my big cup.” Tony laughed. The issue wasn’t his desire not to share, it was his desire for the kid not to get caffeine bladder. He was already concerned about the amount of fluorescent blue liquid he’d consumed making a reappearance; and he knew from experience that giving Peter caffeine whilst in a moving vehicle was a bad idea.

Peter blushed and hung his head a little. “I already said I was sorry...It was an accident.” 

Tony cringed, feeling bad for making Peter feel self conscious. He knew better than to tease him, he didn’t want to discourage him from being resourceful in the future should a similar situation arise; but little did he know Peter was hamming up his upset to get what he wanted, and it worked. Tony passed the cup back to him. “Fine, here. But you won’t like it.”

Peter grinned cheerfully, happy to note the puppy dog eyes still worked as he grasped the mug. “I like coffee.”

“No you don’t, you like creamer and sugar.” His mentor laughed. Tony had his black, only adding any extras if he was upset as a treat to himself. But today it was straight black coffee without even a sweetener and no sooner than Peter took a sip he grimaced. “See? Told you.”

“Blech!” Peter managed to swallow the bitter liquid but he immediately stuck his tongue out, trying to rod his mouth of the taste. “Blech blech blech. That’s so nasty Tony, how do you drink that stuff?” 

“It sustains me.” Tony chuckled darkly as Peter shoved the mug back in the cup holder. “How about we get you some hot chocolate or something instead?”

“That sounds better.” Peter said, his face still contorted as he struggled not to gag. Part of it had been worth it though, it had certainly worked to warm him up. “Can I have some more gum, please?”

The rest of the car ride to the meet up was fairly uneventful. Steve stayed asleep most of the journey and the man must have needed it since he struggled to wake up when they arrived at the location.  


It was fair to say, it wasn’t the kind of place Peter’s expect a covert, super secret government hand over to be- though he guessed that was part of the reason they’d picked it. He’d expected some secret underground bunker, or a high tech fancy building or even an old busted motel- not a parking lot between a Walgreens and a Starbucks. 

It wouldn’t usually be a problem, Peter wasn’t exactly hard to please- but he’d been hoping he could take a quick pee break before they got back on the road. Had they met up somewhere less conspicuous he could’ve done so easily without having to ask, but since they were out in the open he’d have to ask for his mentor’s permission to dip into one of the neighbouring buildings. And his mentor wasn’t in the best mood. 

They all got out of the car, all adorning various ‘disguises’ (which really just meant an array of hats to help obscure their features) and walked over to where Nick was leaning against his own vehicle. He grinned at them, wearing his signature black trench coat; though Peter did notice with a small giggle he was wearing a black beanie with a purple Pom-Pom on his head. “Finally.”

“Shut up.” Tony snapped, scowling at the other man. 

“Well, someone’s crabby.” Nick continued to smile, winking (at least it looked like a wink) at Peter in particular. 

Tony just sighed angrily. “You would be too if you’d spent the past two days driving with these idiots.” 

Peter knew it was a front but his mentor’s grouchiness still made him pout. And it certainly didn’t make him feel confident enough to ask if he could run across the street to use the bathroom. 

The cold wasn’t helping either. What had been more of a preemptive ‘I  _ should  _ pee while I have the chance’ urge that had been drilled into him since early childhood, was now less of an idea and more of a need. Like his bladder had already started to relax knowing it was going to be attended to shortly, and it was now having to control itself again- and it wasn’t particularly happy. The cold air made his tightening muscles even worse and he found himself shaking in an attempt to both keep warm and keep the niggling urge at bay. 

Noting his kid had started to shiver Tony tossed the keys in the boy’s direction, not missing a beat in his conversation, nor did he offer any verbal instruction. But Peter took the hint and sulked back off to the car, instead of into the Starbucks like he had originally wanted. 

So he sat himself back in the car, being grateful fo the privacy. He hoped that the handover would be short and Tony would give him the opportunity to go before he left. The urge was stronger now; he could feel every ounce of that slushie he’d consumed settling in his tummy, along with the small sip of coffee that had seemed to only accelerate the process. Now that he had the privacy to wiggle his bladder took him up on the offer, constantly pulsing to remind him of his need he was neglecting. The many layers of clothing he was bundled up in was only making it worse, constricting his movements and only putting more unwanted pressure on his poor bladder. 

He glanced out of the window, looking for signs that their conversation was almost over but in fortunately the men were still talking. Steve was chatting too but he soon excused himself and started walking across the empty parking lot, right towards where Peter wished he was. Peter envied him so much and for a split second he considered just hopping out at going after him- if anyone said anything he could pass it off as being hungry or wanting a warm drink. 

But something stopped him. Maybe it was the idea of going out in the cold again or the possibility of Tony asking him where he was going..even though he knew logically both of those things were easily rectifiable there was a still a voice in his head telling him to wait, just in case he got in trouble. He’d wait until Tony got back and he could ask his mentor then. 

And wait he tried, but it was getting increasingly difficult. Ten minutes went by and Tony and Nick were still talking- what happened to it being a quick ‘hi and bye’ kind of deal? He thought the whole point of the exchange was to be _quick._ Peter was absolutely bursting now and his previous plans of heading across the street before asking and dealing with his mentor later had gone out of the window. Even if he did go across the street it would be obvious that he was desperate; he would have to run and running didn’t feel like a good idea when he could barely pry his legs apart. Just shifting over to tint the windows for some more privacy, he’d parted his thighs a little too much and a leak escaped him. He whimpered and shoved his hands in his crotch leaning forward, too preoccupied to notice Steve coming back. 

Peter practically jumped a foot in the air when the passenger door opened. “You okay sport?”

“Y-y-yeah. Just cold.” Peter stammered, hoping Steve would mistake his speech impediment for being cold rather than being anxious. Embarrassingly he realised that he couldn’t remove his hands from where they were imbedded his crotch without leaking again; so tried to make out that he was warming up his hands. It was cold, especially when Steve had opened the door bringing the freezing wind in with him, so thankfully Steve didn’t think too much of it. 

“That’s why I got these.” Steve smiled, handing back one of the cups he was holding, Peter instantly recognising the scent as being hot chocolate and though his stomach growled his tummy clenched at the idea of more liquid. “I don’t understand how Tony can walk around without a jacket in this weather, it’s freezing.” 

“Th-thank you.” The boy mumbled. The cup was pleasantly warm in his hands but that meant his excuse to hold himself was gone. With Steve in the car too he couldn’t wiggle as nearly as much as he needed to to stop himself from steadily leaking into his pants.  Not that anyone could see that. 

He bundled the blanket in his lap, both to cover himself and to put added pressure on his crotch, in hopes that Steve wouldn’t notice him acting strangely. He also knew to take a sip of his drink or Steve would get suspicious but he also didn’t want to add another drop of urine to his bladder. 

He couldn’t hold it. All of a sudden he just- couldn’t hold it. Like at all. Out of nowhere, he’d leant forward and instead of a small leak it just started flooding out- and though he was desperate it was really unexpected. He let out a small yelp of shock, almost dropping his drink when his brain tried to decide wether or not to hold himself; which he ultimately decided against. It was no use, he couldn’t stop it now and even if he could, he’d never make it inside. He just sat there, frozen, silently wetting himself when he realised with a small sigh of relief he was wearing his suit. 

Then again, he also realised he’d never peed himself in the suit while sitting down before, and it was a weird sensation. Rather than feeling his crotch grow wam and the sensation running down his legs before being carried away by the suit- it was pooling in his lap, similar to all of the other various suitless accidents he’d had in vehicles. For a moment he panicked that the filtration system wouldn’t work. He wasn’t sure how it worked exactly (because despite wanting to know everything about his suit, he’d always been to shy to ask about the in’s and out’s of his inbuilt bathroom) but he knew it had to be something to do with tubes. At least that’s what he assumed, it was the only thing that made sense to him. Gravity had to play a part in it too, right? Like the liquid had to be put  _ somewhere,  _ even if that somewhere wasn’t a visible storage tank. What if the way he’s sitting caused a kink in the tube and he ended up overflowing the system and peeing himself? 

Though there was that time he had to stay stuck to the ceiling for three hours after he’d snuck hone while May chatted to her friend on the phone. He’d had an accident then and it hadn’t leaked but still gravity had  _ kind of  _ been on his side. 

He was panicking now, because he knew he couldn’t stop it even if he tried. He wanted to cry. For a second he was  _ sure _ he could feel the seat of his pants getting wet; and his brain went through a hundred scenarios on how he’ll be able to hide the stain. 

And all the while Steve was sitting not a foot away from him, now studying him with concern in his eyes. 

“Are you alright kiddo?” Steve asked softly. The kid had been silent for a while now, and he hadn’t even touched his drink which the man knew he would’ve usually guzzled down; and now the boys face was getting increasingly red. Had Steve not known better he would’ve thought the boy was about to cry. 

Peter blinked a couple of times trying to will his mouth to move, all the while still trying to conjure up a solution to the situation he’d got himself in. He managed to squeak out a small; “Uh y _ - _ yeah.”

“You nervous about the mission?”

Peter took the out Steve unknowingly presented him with and nodded. He was still preoccupied trying to determine whether he’d just wet his pants or not. He shifted in his seat he  _ felt  _ dry but the whole area was still super warm so he couldn’t tell if he’d leaked at all. 

While Steve was talking to him Peter managed to surreptitiously peek beneath his blanket and he realised that  _ thank god  _ it wasn’t visible- but he still felt like crying once it sank in that he’d just wet himself for no reason. Not only had he wet himself but he’d gotten away with it. 

He felt gross and ashamed, like a little kid trying to hide the evidence so he didn’t get in trouble. It was oddly reminiscent of that time in Kindergarten he’d been too afraid to raise his hand during class, and no one had noticed until May came to pick him up. He was waiting for the ball to drop, for Steve to realise what he’d done, but it didn't and Steve didn't and for some reason that made it feel even  _ worse _ ; that he was keeping the degrading experience to himself like some dirty secret. There was no need for any of that to happen, he wasn’t in a traffic jam or in class or stuck somewhere. He could’ve spoken up- hell he could’ve gotten away with not even saying anything, just casually followed Steve and then used the bathroom- but he hadn’t. The anxiety had overwhelmed him again and he’d let this happen. Thank god he was wearing the suit. 

Then it occurred to him that he’d only had an accident  _ because  _ he was wearing the suit. No, he didn’t wet himself  _ on purpose  _ but subconsciously his brain must’ve said ‘it’s okay! no one will see anyway!’ and had coaxed him into allowing his bladder to fail, instead of forcing himself to face his social fears. Instead of making himself speak up his brain had found an alternative, a shameful, humiliating alternative. 

Yep his eyes were getting hot now. 

He was too busy trying to keep his emotions in check that he hadn’t noticed Steve was trying to comfort him. The man had been telling anecdotal stories, trying to soothe what he thought were fears about the mission. But Peter did notice when he blond put a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up Steve was looking him up and down, blue eyes full of worry. “Hey... Buddy, it’s okay.” 

Peter’s eyes were already stinging, he was about to cry he could feel it and Steve comforting him was only making it worse. He felt guilty for the man’s sympathy because he didn’t deserve it. Had Steve known what he’d just done he’d surely be disgusted and think him a baby. God he was a baby. A huge fucking baby. He shouldn’t have come on this mission he clearly wasn’t mature enough. He couldn’t be trusted to go to the bathroom let alone fight bad guys.

And just then Tony got back in the car. As per the man’s usual impeccable timing.  


“Okay the coordinates are about two hours west of here and- kid?” As he hopped in he’d initially been looking to Steve; but when he realised he was looking worriedly back at Peter who looked like he was about to cry. “What’s the matter?”

“Nothing.” Peter said lowly, almost angrily. Though his voice was wavering as he was trying to swallow back emotion, it still had that characteristically teenage biting way of saying  _ leave me alone.  _ Not that Tony paid attention to it usually but something was telling him not to push the kid. He watched as Peter dragged a hand angrily across his face to mop up any stray tears. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine.” Tony said quietly. All usual bite was gone from his voice; he just sounded confused. He wanted to push, but much like he had with Steve something was telling him that was not a good idea. And for once he decided to listen.

“Two hours west, what’s the situation?” Peter said, shutting the conversation down and getting Tony back on subject.

Reluctantly Tony let it go. He’d definitely be coming back to it, hopefully once they were alone so Peter wouldn’t feel the added pressure of acting like he was okay for Steve’s benefit. “Right...so-“ 

While Tony explained their situation, Peter silently choked back tears and sipped on his hot chocolate. He was mindful not to drink too much but the sweet warm drink was comforting and it was making him feel just a little better. 

Once Tony finished explaining that they were just under two hours away from their destination and all of the precautions they had to undertake once they got there, the boy slipped his headphones back on; allowing the adults to have a much needed conversation as Tony got them back on the road. 

“What was that about?” Tony asked once he could hear the boy’s music blaring; sparing a thought for the boy’s poor ears. If even he could hear it, it must have been deafening for Peter, and he was wondering what thoughts he was trying to drown out. 

Steve only answered once he too realised Peter couldn't hear them. “I don’t know..he seemed upset and I asked if he was worried about the mission. Then I guess I upset him with what I said because he just..”

“It probably wasn’t you, love.” Tony said assuringly, the pair seeming to have forgotten their own argument; Tony placed the hand he didn’t have on the wheel on top of Steve’s and squeezed. “It’s okay, you know he gets anxious sometimes.”

“This bad?” Steve asked anxiously, still sure that he must’ve said something wrong to make Peter suddenly turn like that. 

“It can be worse, trust me.” Tony sighed sadly. He couldn’t help but feel guilty himself for not having picked up on any of Peter’s signs sooner- but he had been looking, and he truly hadn’t seen anything. He was sure the boy must’ve gotten himself into a state in the time it took for him to get the run down from Nick; but even for Peter that was a record speed panic attack. Still he tried not to worry too much, it was natural that his boy was nervous for his first stake out mission; Peter was calming now, he wasn’t wiping away tears anymore and was instead shoving candy into his mouth. He knew he’d be alright. “I’ll talk to him later, he’ll be alright once he gets into it.”

Steve nodded, trying to trust Tony as he was the resident Peter expert. And he had to admit the hand holding, however brief, felt nice too after their earlier spat. 

Tony must’ve thought so too, because after a while he added; “Can we talk now?”

“No.” Steve said firmly, but in a light tone of voice. He didn’t sound nearly as angry as he had before he’d fallen asleep but he still wasn’t open for a chat just yet. 

And surprisingly Tony accepted that with only a small sigh. “Okay then..”

Tony backing down immediately must have surprised Steve a little, because the man started engaging in a dialogue anyway. “What’s there to talk about? You trying to make me do something-“

Tony frowned at that point. “I didn’t make you do anything-“

But Steve continued as though Tony hadn’t spoken. “-that  _ degrading.  _ Well I’m so sorry me having to stop is so bothersome to you-“

“Steve-“

Steve still didn’t even take a breath, he was too busy making a point. “But don’t worry I won’t make it a problem anymore I’m sorry for the inconvenience-“

“Steven Marie Rogers that is enough.” Tony snapped, a little bit louder than was necessary but it made Steve respond; closing his mouth with an audible clacking of his jaw. Tony sighed irritably. “For god sakes, I know you don’t feel well and I upset you with the whole diaper thing but there’s no need to be a dick about it.”

“I’m not a dick.” Steve pouted. 

“I said no need to  _ be  _ a dick not that you  _ are  _ one. A pedantic one at that.” Tony shook his head. “Now will you stop it with all the defensive crap? It doesn’t suit you.” 

Steve slunk down in his seat but didn’t argue further. He just crossed his arms over his chest and sighed, waiting for Tony to continue. Which he did, albeit in a much softer tone now that the blond was actually listening to him.

“I wasn’t trying to force you into anything, I was  _ trying  _ to have a discussion about it. Look at options,  _ together,  _ so you weren’t trying to deal with this on your own. I know you’re used to having to do that, but I’m not having it, not while I’m around. I’m not going to make you do anything you’re not comfortable with.”

Steve nodded along to what Tony was saying, taking the man's words in. He only took umbrage to the very last part. “You already know I’m not comfortable with  _ that.”  _

“No, I know, but I also know that suit you’re wearing doesn’t have a filtration system.” Tony pointed out, knowing Steve didn’t have an argument for that one. 

He didn’t try to argue either, rather play off the issue that was plaguing him as only a minor inconvenience. “It’s not going to be a problem, okay? I’m already feeling better.”

Try as he might Tony couldn’t keep the sarcasm from creeping in at that point. “See, you say that, but you’re sweaty despite complaining you’re cold, you're still peeing more often than usual and I’m pretty sure you threw up when you had me stop earlier.”

“I feel a lot better after I threw up.” Steve admitted as he cleared his throat; only grimacing slightly at the memory. 

“So  _ you did- _ Steve oh my god.” Tony sighed angrily. “What the fuck is wrong with you?!” 

“What?! I didn’t exactly want to announce it, there wasn’t time.” Steve yelled back, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. 

“But you couldn’t have told me after? Or at least before we met up with Nick?”

“I don’t know- but it doesn’t matter now does it?” Steve rolled his eyes, as though Tony was the one being unreasonable on his request. 

“Well it does-“

“Tony.” Steve cut him off with a sigh; but for the first time that day he started to sound like his old self. Instead of getting angry and snapping back, he brought the conversation back down to a level more becoming of two people that deeply cared about each other; as opposed to two that wanted to rip each other’s throats out. Though honestly they’d both played both parts at various points in their relationship, Steve knew now was not the time. “I get that you’re trying to be helpful, okay? But if I have to get antibiotics sent over to us on location, Nick is going to ask why I need them and potentially pull me- and I’m sorry but I don’t particularly want Nick Fury knowing I’m having pee problems.”

“Pee problems.” Tony snickered before he could stop himself, which only resulted in Steve frustratedly throwing his hands up in the air. 

“You know what? I’m not talking to you-“ Steve huffed but Tony grabbed his hand again (after checking Peter wasn’t looking of course ((not that he particularly cared at this point))). 

“Baby, hey, hey, I’m sorry. I’m taking this seriously, I promise. And I get your concerns, really I do, but what good are you gonna be if this spreads to your kidneys, huh? Besides the bathroom breaks being-“ he didn’t want to say  _ inconvenient,  _ even if they were. “ _ -impractical,  _ you’re getting a fever now. You threw up- that’s not- that’s not  _ good,  _ babe. I shouldn’t have to tell you that. I don’t want you getting seriously sick all because you’re worried about Nick being an asshole. Which for the record I know he won’t be.”

“And how do you know that?” Steve chuckled disbelievingly. 

“He can be discreet when he wants to be. Trust me.” Tony said with a small shrug, his eyes on the road. Only when Steve didn’t respond he realised the blond was staring at him. “What?” Steve just continued to raise his eyebrows. “You’re not getting any details.” Tony sighed, making Steve smirk. “Forget it Steve, it’s not just my story to tell- besides he manages staff. What kind of boss would he be if he went round spouting shit about everyone’s business?” 

Steve didn’t press further though he really wanted to. “I guess so. I’d still rather avoid it.” 

“Okay so we’ll try to avoid it. I’ll get Bruce on it, then if Nick gets notified I’ll tell him to keep his big mouth shut for once. Or I can ask Goose to scratch out his other eye.” Tony shrugged like it was an easy fix. 

_ “You’ll _ ask Goose?” Steve laughed. 

Tony paused for a moment before changing his answer. “I’ll get Peter to ask Goose.”

Suddenly a third voice joined in excitedly from the back. “Goose is coming?!”

Tony and Steve both jumped, the former scowling at the boy. “No he’s not- how much of that were you listening to?”

“When you said my name.” Peter said innocently. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Really sorry to everyone who commented last time- I think my phone is possessed by a demon as it insisted on breaking and giving me notifications but not letting me read any of the comments until literally ten minutes ago 😅 so I’ll get to those requests in a jiffy! I got close to a couple of them and there was one I managed to read about Tony suggesting Steve use some uh..protection (and not the fun kind) that I got to squeeze in here but I’ve got the rest lined up for the next few chapters. Sorry about that!


	7. Chapter 7

When they pulled up to the location it was far more up to Peter’s expectations. After driving along a totally blank road for what seemed like forever, a dot in the distance became a huge towering complex; several pillars clustered around one giant concrete decrepit building. It almost looked like it was gonna be a modern skyscraper that had just been abandoned half way through without being finished. There was no glass in the windows, no doors, just the concrete shell of a weird futuristic office block. Or maybe it was apartments. Or maybe it was a- Peter had no idea. All he did know was it looked super cool. He found himself verbalising that as they pulled up to the makeshift parking bay. “Woah this place is  _ huge.”  _

“Yep. Lots of places for baddies to hide, so let’s get to scoping.” Tony agreed as he turned off the engine. “Suit up.”

The trio hopped out of the car to get into their superhero garb, Peter pulling his mask on before doing so. Once he felt it securely snap against his suit he started to take off his outer layers of clothing. 

“Am I gonna have to wear my mask the whole time?” Peter asked as Tony helped him get unstuck from his hoodie when he’d somehow managed to get tangled. 

“Only until I get the surveillance systems up. And then you can take it off when we set up base camp.” Tony explained. 

“Okay.” Peter said once he was finally free as he looked up at the building. It was  _ huge.  _ He couldn’t help but get pumped about the prospect of getting to climb it- he hadn’t had a chance to spread his wings in ages (after a minor... _ miscommunication  _ where he’d scaled the side of a tower set for demolition..hehe) and man it felt good to be back in his suit. Before he knew it he was bouncing on his toes excitedly and looking expectantly at his mentor. “Sooooo….?”

Tony sighed. He’d wanted to give Peter more of a run down before they set off but he could see the kid was overexcited and he didn’t feel like keeping him on task; better to let him run off some energy before he tried to explain something to him, unless he wanted to repeat himself twenty times. “Be careful.” 

“Yay!” Peter took off immediately, scaling the building and running around; jumping from platform to roof to window, doing a lot of unnecessary flips and swings on his way up the side of the building. 

Tony groaned at the display. Maybe he shouldn’t have let the kid have a sip of his coffee after all. “Meet us back here! We’ll sweep inside.”

“Rodger dodger!” Peter called down before launching himself across a gap in the buildings and disappearing from view. 

Tony sighed again but he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t happy to see the boy perking up. Maybe this mission wasn’t destined to be a disaster, well, at least not while they were outside of a vehicle anyway. 

Steve noted the boy's good mood too and smiled. “Well he seems better.”

“Told you he’d be fine.” Tony smiled back, albeit for a different reason. His smile was far less innocent in nature, as he noticed Steve stripping his jeans off to reveal his suit out of the corner of his eye. “Oo, speaking of  _ fine.”  _

Steve scowled at him when he turned around to see Tony ogling him. Not that he wasn’t used to it, he just didn’t feel like sharing his goods with the man after his earlier behaviour. That and it was hardly an appropriate setting. Again, not that that had ever stopped Tony before- ugh. “Don’t you start.”

Tony stood behind him, holding his hips as he leant forward to slip his jeans over his shoes; feigning that he was being helpful and helping the man maintain his balance. “Come on, Tidbit will be distracted for ages. It’s a big place, he's got a lot of roof and alleys to cover.”

“Are you forgetting Peter isn’t the only one who might be here?” Steve sighed, rolling his eyes. 

“Fine.” Tony groaned, throwing his head back dramatically though his grip on Steve’s hips didn’t loosen. Mostly because he really was helping the man stay upright. At least that’s what he told himself. 

Steve whipped around, so he was now the one holding Tony's hips against the car; just long enough for the brunette’s expression to change to one of interest. Just long enough to be able to burst his bubble. Smiling sweetly in a sing-song voice, he informed him as to why they wouldn’t be having any fun; “Besides I’m still mad at you.”

“At me?!” Tony gawked. “What did I do?!”

“For what you said to me earlier.” Steve said in the same tone of voice, enjoying the reaction he was getting. It wasn’t often he got to make Tony flustered so he was having a blast.

“But we just talked about that!”

“And I’m still mad.” He shrugged as he tugged on the hood part of his suit. He was shivering again though it wasn’t entirely due to the cold; having to shift to strap his boots had caused a painful twinge to rip through his stomach again and it reminded him of the  _ other  _ reason he and Tony couldn’t enjoy the brief private time. Sighing deeply he turned back to Tony, his voice turning serious. “Have you got the thing anyway?”

“What thing?”

“You know, the  _ thing.” _ Steve emphasised, shaking one of his legs impatiently. 

Tony squinted slightly, looking confused. “But you..? Wait do you mean the- You just said no to all that-“

Steve growled angrily. “I swear to god Tony-“

“Seriously what thing?” Tony said quickly, holding his hands up. The last thing he wanted was another argument and for once he wasn’t trying to make a mistimed joke; he was genuinely perplexed as to what Steve was asking for. “I’m not being facetious-“

“The stuff I need to send a sample to Bruce.” Steve stressed in a hushed whisper, his face positively flaming. 

“Oh, the piss pot?” Tony asked in his normal loud tone of voice that made his partner let out another small scream of frustration; which he ignored in favour of pointing towards the item’s wearabouts. “Yeah should be in the Medkit. But uh, Steve?”

“Hm?” 

Tony cringed, feeling bad about his next request. “Maybe you should wait until after the sweep, just so you don’t, you know, get caught with your pants down.” 

“God, it’s not just my pants though is it?” Steve murmured grouchily. Though he did have a zipper on his suit, it had a bit of a...history. Obviously it had to be rather small as not to get accidentally caught and leave him in a compromising position during fights; so it was too finicky for his large hands most of the time especially during an emergency. It was often far easier to shrug the whole suit off. He pouted at the thought of having to do that outside, or inside that hollow building, in the bitterly cold weather. “I’m going to be freezing.”

“Don’t worry I’ll warm you up.”

_ “Tony!” _

  
  


All in all the sweep didn’t take too long. After briefly checking the main building and ensuring it was safe, Tony left Steve alone to help Peter with the arial search so the soldier was able to have a private moment to have a phone consultation with Bruce. Once that was  _ taken care of,  _ and the building was found to be utterly empty, it was down to the two tech wizzes to set up the complex surveillance system. 

Then they had to pick their hideout spot and move their supplies into it; which again, didn’t take long at all. The main building was almost too perfect, a large open plan lobby (or at least it would have been) with a ceiling that spanned up to at least the tenth floor of the complex; the balconies, all of which giving the perfect birdseye view of the entryway, the back entrance, the would-be-parking garage as well as the surrounding grounds through the empty windows. They chose a room on the fourth floor, meaning they’d be far enough away to stay stealthy and hidden, but close enough for a certain Spider-Kid not to break his ankles should he have to jump in on the action.

It was only once they started moving their supplies in did Peter become nervous. They had a trunk, filled with ‘astronaut food’, as Peter had dubbed it, and water, as well as a basic medkit and all the necessary tech they needed. Though they were only supposed to be there for a couple days there was the possibility it could be longer so they had enough food and water for about a week- but Peter wasn’t nervous about that. He had a pretty strong stomach from years of public school cafeteria food and May’s cooking, he could deal with meals from a silver packet for a while. No, what concerned him was the fact that there was only one air mattress.   
  


Assumedly they’d sleep in shifts, he understood that; but that meant both Tony _and_ Steve would be awake whilst he was sleeping. What if something went wrong? What if he had a nightmare or _worse?_

Speaking of worse, he couldn’t help but notice there weren’t any bathrooms. There wasn’t even evidence alluding to a functioning bathroom. The building didn’t even have plumbing, it was just concrete. The only trace that there was plans for plumbing were only holes on the outside of the building where the pipes were meant to go but they were empty. No metal, no pvc, which meant, _no toilets._

Safe to say that prospect made him nervous. And what happened when Peter got nervous? 

_ Damnit.  _

“You okay buddy?” Steve asked tentatively when he noticed Peter had fallen silent again. He was being extra vigilant after the incident in the car; having never seen the boy so emotional before, it worried him, and he wanted to prevent that from happening again, whatever it was. So any even slightly odd behaviour he was bound to pick up. 

Peter nodded quickly, blushing when he realised he must have been acting off. If Steve could tell something was up, even with his mask on, he wasn’t sure how he was going to survive two days with minimal privacy and a precarious bathroom situation on his hands. “Mhm.” 

Steve seemed satisfied with the quick reply, but Tony was instantly suspicious. He’d noticed Peter’s silence too but unlike Steve he had an inkling as to what it was, and he’d been waiting for an opportune time to address it. He’d tried to emotionally prepare for the amount of persuasion it was going to take for Peter to accept peeing outside before they got there, even before their collective worst fears were realised. Of course Peter had used alleys or the odd tree as an option before in  _ emergencies,  _ but convincing him to go before his bladder was about to explode was going to be an entirely different ball game. Especially when they were in the company of someone else. Tony tried to catch the boy's eye (which was difficult when he still had his mask on) and gestured, looking towards the vacant alley to their right; but Peter shook his head. 

And Tony knew he was lying; but he also knew he wasn’t going to get anywhere with Steve in the room. Rather than draw attention to the boy’s predicament he decided to be slightly more subtle and get rid of his boyfriend so he could rectify the situation. 

But meanwhile Peter was starting to panic. Similarly to in the car, he could feel his bladder getting progressively more impatient. Only after his earlier stint of holding it too long, it was even weaker than usual, so despite his bladder not being full it was sending increasingly urgent signals that it wanted to be emptied  _ immediately.  _ It didn’t want to wait like it had to in the car- even though this time Peter had a legitimate reason, which he was trying to convince his body of, but it didn’t want to listen. 

When reasoning with his kidneys didn’t work either he decided to just try and ignore it, at least for a while until he had the opportunity to sneak off or think of a suitable game plan. He was still nose deep in setting up the surveillance system, so that worked as a distraction for a while. It wasn’t until he was checking through each camera and spotted a particularly private looking alley did the constant pounding in his abdomen regain his full attention. He didn’t even notice when Tony and Steve started bickering again, the latter of the pair not understanding why Tony was trying to pick a fight with him again. 

“Will you just  _ go and check!” _

“I already checked! Three times! Why don’t you go and check if you’re so worried?!” Steve yelled back. 

“Because checking the itinerary is  _ your job Steven!”  _

Peter hadn’t noticed the men arguing, he was too busy trying to stop his abdomen from stuttering like it had been for the past fifteen minutes; only now it wasn’t obeying his commands. He was leaking near constantly now and that familiar pooling sensation was starting to creep down his thighs; so he quickly stood up, not wanting to have the same feeling as he had in the car. At least when he was standing he could feel that the liquid was being wicked away and wasn’t staining his suit- but even though he looked dry he certainly wasn’t. And that didn’t mean he didn’t try to stop either.

He was not about to give up like he had in the car. Once he stood up he tried to _surreptitiously_ cross his legs to stem the flow; which Tony mistook as _‘Mr. Stark, get Steve to go away_ **_now_** _.’_

Which the man did, literally pushing the blond through the doorway, hissing in his ear; “Can’t you take a fucking hint,  _ give us a minute!” _

By now Steve had started to catch on to what was going on, albeit a little too late. “Well you could’ve just asked me!”

“You want me to ask? Fine- Steve can you  _ fuck off?!”  _ Tony hissed as he shoved him again, earning him a shocked gasp from the taller man. 

“You are- ugh-  _ you are so  _ **_rude_ ** _.”  _ Steve huffed as he stormed off to ‘check their itinerary.’ Really he was just going to sit in another one of the empty rooms and sulk for a little whilst he waited for Tony to say sorry. Which meant he’d be waiting a while- but that worked for Tony and Peter, who had more pressing needs to take care of. 

“Okay, he’s gone bud you can go now.” Tony sighed as he peered over the balcony, making sure that Steve had disappeared down the stairs before he let Peter know the coast was clear. But when he turned back Peter hadn’t moved. He was still standing hunched over and cross legged by their display screen. “P, go on.”

“I...I am.” Peter whispered, his voice barely audible, muffled by the suit. 

“Huh?” Tony asked, though he didn’t receive a response. Peter continued standing there rigidly, not moving, so Tony assumed he’d made some sort of protest about leaving or maybe that he was scared to go alone. Thus he started launching into the dialogue he’d prepared in his head to get the kid to go. “Well then let’s-“ but Peter cut him off with a whimper. Then Tony noticed the boy’s legs were quivering slightly. And they were no longer crossed. Ah. “Wait are you-”

“I did.” Peter said again, this time a little louder as his body shuddered; his bladder finally emptying with embarrassingly comedic timing. 

Tony looked confused for a second, before his face dropped. The look of realisation that washed over his face looked far too close to amusement in Peter’s opinion. “Oh.” 

“Please don’t laugh at me.” The boy begged brokenly, making it clear that this was no laughing matter and he truly couldn’t handle being teased. 

“I’m not, I’m not, I pinky promise.” Tony said rushedly, putting his hands on Peter’s shoulders. His reaction was one of genuine shock, and even if he had initially found it slightly amusing he’d never ever let that on to Peter. And he certainly would never tease him when he was upset. “If it was that bad you could’ve told me, I would’ve gotten rid of Spangles sooner.”

“I know..it’s just..” Peter trailed off sniffling slightly as he inspected his shoes. 

After a moment when Peter didn’t continue Tony prompted him again. “What, bubs?”

“I don’t wanna go outside..” He admitted weakly. 

He wasn’t scared before when they’d first got there, even once he realised there weren’t any bathrooms- but now it was dark. Not outside the complex but within it’s halls it was practically pitch black; there were no lights, the only peeks of light that streamed through the empty window frames and doorways almost entirely dissipated; and sure his suit had a night vision feature, but the atmosphere was still eerie. It was cold and sterile, the building, whatever it was, wasn’t like an apartment complex more like a hospital- a creepy abandoned hospital...okay maybe it wasn’t that bad, but it certainly wasn't built for comfort, okay? He hated peeing outside anyway he always found it so hard to relax. He never felt safe, he felt too vulnerable especially  _ now  _ when they really weren’t in a safe secure area. Even with all of Tony’s surveillance equipment he still could get caught short and with his suit coming off the way he did he’d be so  _ exposed.  _ All he had on was underwear under his suit, he’d literally be an open target. Not just that but it was so  _ cold.  _

Tony sighed gently. He’d already considered all of those factors but it didn’t change the fact that Peter couldn’t hold his pee in constantly for the next 48 hours. Not unless he wanted to end up like Steve. “Peter I know but you can’t keep holding it this long. You’re gonna get sick-“

“I know I have to sometimes it’s just- I don’t- I don’t wanna go  _ there.” _ Peter grimaced, looking towards the designated ‘safest’ alley Tony had gestured to earlier. The smell from where people had obviously used it before, the mere  _ knowledge  _ that people had used it before and the fact that he wasn’t allowed to leave Tony’s sight all made the experience uncomfortable on a whole other level. Not that he thought the man would look or anything, he just felt vulnerable and he didn’t like the idea of the man or the security footage having to watch over him when he was trying to relax. It just solidified the notion that he wasn’t safe. If Tony had to keep an eye on him at all times that meant other people were able to- or at least that’s how it worked in Peter’s head. “I already had to use my suit anyway and-“

Tony's brows furrowed. “What, when?”

“Does it matter?” Peter huffed, frustratedly; frustrated at himself for letting that bit of information slip and frustrated at Tony for picking up on it. 

“Yes it matters, because I feel bad that I wasn’t paying enough attention to notice.” Tony said a little more seriously. Peter said he  _ had to _ , not that he’d done so out of convenience; and the choice of verbiage made Tony uncomfortable. He hoped it hadn’t happened when him and Steve were bickering in the car. He would feel  _ awful  _ if he’d been forced to have an accident because he was too busy fighting to notice he needed a break. 

“It’s not your job.” Peter muttered bitterly. The idea that Tony freaking Stark had to pay attention to his bathroom habits at all was enough to leave a sour taste in his mouth.

“It’s part of my job.” Tony corrected him. “When, P?”

“When you were talkin’ to Mr. Fury..” Peter admitted quietly with an invisible blush. “I-I didn’t wanna interrupt and I didn’t get to go when we got there and it got really bad and I just..”

Tony frowned sadly. Now the tears in the car made sense. He had thought it was odd but- well Peter was a sensitive kid he had a tendency to get upset randomly-and Tony hadn’t had the chance to ask about it at the time. “It’s okay bud. Nothing bad happened, that’s what the filtration system is for, remember?”

“No it’s not, it’s meant for emergencies out in the field.” Peter sniffled, almost in tears again when he was reminded how he’d essentially sued his last resort on purpose. He already felt no better than a baby- and now Tony was acting like what he did was  _ okay.  _ Was that why the man put in a filtration system in the first place? Is that what the man thought he did- just used to suit as and when he felt like it? 

“And we  _ are _ out in the field.” Tony emphasised. 

But Peter shook his head adamantly. “No we're not- not like, not like in a fight or something- you know what I mean, I had options Tony I Should’ve just spoken up-“

“What was it you said to me this morning? You have a small bladder and social anxiety, those two things don’t give you many options at the best of times. This is a new environment for you, and bathroom stuff aside we know you get stressed with new stuff.” Tony said flatly, breaking the situation down in a way that Peter couldn’t argue with. They both knew he struggled to say he needed something, especially when he was stressed. And the man was aware that his sour mood earlier that day probably hadn’t made the situation any more approachable for the boy. “Look at me. It’s okay.” 

“Not okay..” Peter sniffled, though he did except the hug his mentor was offering. 

The boy was still upset about the situation, obviously, but now that his mentor was fully informed he felt slightly better. And now both of them had the opportunity to build themselves up to the  _ next time  _ Peter had to go, they had the time to figure out a game plan. Well, at least Tony did, Peter was still adamant to ignore it as best he could and just hope that a magical toilet would appear.

  
  


A bit later, once Tony spent some time kissing up to Steve and apologising for swearing at him, they ate ‘lunch’; so it wasn’t long before they had to address the issue again. The food wasn’t too bad, at least it was edible, so Peter was happy; his mood being vastly improved in the presence of food. He even got to eat Tony’s portion too since the man was being fussy and refused to touch his rations, opting for yet another liquid meal instead. Peter consumed double his usual intake of liquid too, and the juice he drank went right through him. It wasn’t long before he started squirming again; only this time Tony didn’t wait around fighting with Steve. 

“Well let’s not have a repeat when we don’t have to, hm?” He whispered to the boy when leading him by the shoulder away from the safe room; calling back to Steve making up some excuse about one of the cameras in the west corridor being down. Then he turned back to Peter who was digging his heels into the ground. “Come on, let’s go.” 

“But I can’t Mr. Stark, it won’t come out.” Peter insisted in a hushed whisper as he was shoved down the hallway towards the stairs. He wasn’t nearly desperate enough yet to even attempt going outside, his mentor  _ knew that,  _ so Peter wasn’t sure why he was trying to make him go now. “It’s too dark down there.”

Tony just shrugged (as best he could in his suit anyway) and pressed his arc port to it shone a little brighter. “Well we can try can’t we?” 

The wording he used made Peter tilt his head slightly. “Are you gonna go too?”

“Would that help?” Tony asked. That hadn’t been what he meant but he’d never considered that option as being helpful before. 

Peter shrugged. He didn’t know. Maybe the noise would help. Or maybe it would make it worse- he didn’t know. All he did know was it was dark and freezing cold, despite his suit's insulation, and he wanted to get back to their safe room so he could steal Steve’s jacket again. 

“If you want me to try I can, kid.” Tony shrugged again. 

“I’m sorry I’m awkward.” Peter mumbled, pausing at the base of the stairs to drag his sneaker across the dirt, shyly. 

“It’s not the most awkward thing you’ve made me do.” The man chuckled, thinking back to the various comedic and mortifying incidents they’d been in together. “Or the most awkward thing I’ve done in general- you wait till the Hulk has you go on a pee break with him. _That’s awkward._ Now come on.” 

Tony led Peter down into the alley between two of the buildings that was almost entirely enclosed, offering cover from all sides. He then promptly turned away, leaning casually against the wall and waited for Peter to take care of business. Usually he would’ve sent him off alone but he could tell the kid was nervous; not only that but despite the sweep being clear they were there for a reason. With Peter being as jumpy as he was, the last thing they needed was him encountering an ambush. 

Despite the semblance of privacy Tony was giving him, Peter was no closer to relieving himself than he had been previously that day. Despite having stripped himself of his suit, shifting the spandex to where it bunched over his waist, and  _ freezing his hiney off-  _ he still couldn’t go. His bladder was far more full now but despite its increasing urgency, the cold air hitting his skin combined with the unbearably tense atmosphere was making it impossible to relax. All he could do was stand there hopping from foot to foot, trying to jiggle the pee out. 

Tony waited in silence for a couple minutes, but after hearing a distinct lack of pattering sounds he grew impatient. He sighed, trying to keep the budding frustration from his voice, and offered some words of encouragement once it was obvious Peter was a little stuck. “Just relax, Pete.”

“I’m trying!” The boy hissed angrily. What did Tony think he was just standing there for the heck of it? That he was testing his kegel strength for funsies? Well he wasn’t and this was  _ not funsies!  _

Tony held his hands up defensively before resuming his cross armed stance, looking at the far wall. Another few minutes and muffled whimpers later, the only sound being Peters shoes scuffing against the ground Tony had enough. He pushed off the wall and stepped out of his suit.

“What’re you doing?” Peter asked as the man stood aways from him; facing the opposite wall to Peter and assuming the position himself. 

“Taking a leak, what does it look like I’m doing?” Tony chuckled as he started relieving himself. Almost instantly he could tell the noise was getting to him which was good; only he hoped Peter wouldn’t get too used to the man accompanying him. He didn’t mind going with him but there was no way he would be able to go every time Peter did, he just didn’t have it in him. “Piss or get off the pot, kiddo.” 

“That’s not fair, Tony!” Peter whined. He was the one who had to go badly, why did Tony get to pee before he did? The noise was making his bladder twitch enviously but it wouldn’t relax enough for him to actually go. “You’re meant to be helpin’ _me_ go!” 

Tony laughed again which almost resulted in him spraying his shoes. He didn’t understand how the child could be so dramatic unknowingly. “I never said you can’t whizz, kid, just pretend you’re at a urinal.”

“You know I hate urinals.” Peter huffed and stomped his foot. 

Tony rolled his eyes at the dramatic display, though he knew Peter wasn’t just doing it for effect. “But you _can_ use them- remember that time at the Skeir convention? When all the stalls were closed? You took the one in the corner and I stood at the one next to you so no one would go near you- you could go then, just imagine that..”

Peter did remember, he’d been way more bursting than he was now. The convention had been packed, so they’d had to wait in line for twenty minutes just to get into the bathroom; long enough from Peter to go from kind of uncomfortable to  _ dying.  _ Tony had offered to drive him somewhere else so he could go but there was no way he would have made it. Thankfully his mentor’s quick thinking had saved him much like it was now. The memory of one of the most relieving bathroom breaks of his short life was working on his bladder muscles and they were starting to relax. 

Peter was too busy relishing in the memory he didn’t realise he’d started going. He only realised when Tony chuckled at him. “There we go kid.”

Finally, once he’d ignored his bladder trying to lock up on him when it realised it had been tricked, he was able to pee  _ not in his suit _ for the first time since they got there. But by the time he was done and had re-suited Tony was still going. Peter jiggled his legs impatiently as he attempted to warm up, still shivering from the temperature. “Come on Mr. Stark, it’s cold.”

“Don’t rush me.” Tony laughed. 

“Well can’t you go a little faster?”

“No? How do you expect me to do that?” Tony asked; though he instantly regretted saying it because Peter doesn’t understand rhetorical questions. 

“I don’t know, just push harder.” Peter shrugged. He didn’t exactly have any advice on how to do that, he was usually so desperate that he finished going a mile a minute, he couldn’t exactly relate.

“And the list of awkward things you’ve asked me to do grows ever longer.” Tony sighed. He was almost done but despite insisting it wasn’t possible he managed to force it out just a little bit quicker. Just as his stream trickled off he pushed again forcing a little more out. 

“Jesus.” Peter sighed impatiently as he sat flopped down onto the stairs. 

“Can you shut up, I’m trying to concentrate.” Tony laughed again. He didn’t have a shy bladder by any means but he wasn’t used to a play by play commentary as he went. 

“You need to go pee more often.” Peter wrinkled his nose. The amount of liquid the man produced just seemed uncomfortable to him. 

Tony rolled his eyes. He had to bite his tongue from commenting on the irony of  _ Peter Parker  _ telling him he needed to take more frequent bathroom breaks.  _ Peter.  _ “Thank you Dr. Banner.”

“Well he’s right. You’re like a camel.”

“Boy.” Tony laughed, shaking his head. 

“And it smells like coffee. That ain’t healthy Mr. Stark-”

“Peter  _ shut up.” _ He said, attemptedly warningly, but he was laughing too hard now to sound genuinely bothered by the comments. 

And Peter certainly didn’t understand the issue; he was concerned damnit!  _ “What?!” _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long break between writing (again) but that might become a bit of a habit (even more so than it already was) since I just started university! So uploads may be few and far between, but I’ll get to requests and suggestions eventually I promise :)


	8. Chapter 8

“Tony you need to eat something.” Steve sighed as they settled down to eat dinner that evening. It was almost totally dark outside now, which left the inside of the building even more cold than it had been before- which Peter hadn’t even thought possible- and rather than eat his meal Tony had been using it to warm his hands. 

Though as soon as that fact was drawn attention to the man grumpily pushed the plate away, scowling at it. “I ain’t eating that shit.”

Steve made sure to keep his voice neutral, trying to avoid an argument or embarrassing Tony in front of Peter; but ultimately it had the opposite effect. “You need real food, you haven’t eaten all day.” 

Tonys frown deepened only now he wasn’t looking at his plate he was looking at his partner. “And I’ll eat when we get  _ real food, _ not this brown sludge they try to make us eat.”

When Tony kicked his plate further away Steve took a deep breath through his nose before he retrieved the plate off the floor and placed it back in front of him. “You need. To eat.”

It looks could kill,  _ oh if looks could kill.  _

“No. I’m not a child Steve-“

“Then stop acting like one.” Steve cut him off, his eyes boring right back at Tony when he was given another death glare for his comment. Another pair of eyes looked at him too; and Steve quickly shot an apologetic smile at the other brunette in the room. “No offence Peter.” 

“None taken.” Peter shrugged happily through a mouthful of stew. Or maybe it was meant to be chilli, he wasn’t sure. Whatever the slop was, it was warm and filling, so he wasn’t about to complain. Peter and Steve’s potions being modified to be more calorically dense so they didn’t have to consume their usual mountains of food to survive; so at least he knew he wouldn’t be nursing hunger pains that night. Only the fact that Peter was happily tucking into his meal didn’t act in his mentor’s favour. 

“See?” Steve said, gesturing to the teen. “Peter’s eating it.”

Tony, growing ever angrier at how Steve was talking to him like a toddler, started to raise his voice slightly. “Well Peter would eat literal trash if you smothered it in BBQ sauce.”

“Guilty.” Peter muttered, licking his fingers for the excess sauce. Admittedly he had used half of his designated backpack bottle. If he kept slathering it on everything the way he was he might have to ask Tony for the bottle he kept in the car for emergencies.

Steve sighed. “At least he’s eating.”

“Well he can keep eating, here kid.” Tony smirked sarcastically at Steve, staring at him even as he pushed his plate towards Peter. 

The boy looked uncomfortable- not that either of the adults noticed, they were too busy having a staring contest. Peter didn’t particularly want to get into the middle of...all of that. “No Mr. Stark you needta eat that.”

Tony broke off his side of the staring contest to gawk at Peter. How dare the boy betray him! To  _ Steve  _ no less! 

Steve who was still holding up his side of the state off. And looking increasingly angry. “Anthony Edward-“

“Don’t!” Tony yelled, giving Steve his full attention as he put a finger up to the other man’s mouth. “Don’t you dare full name me in front of my kid,  _ Rogers.” _

“Then eat. Your damn. Food.” Steve retorted, his tone dropping into an equally hostile tone, his face getting close to his. He was trying to be authoritative but all he succeeded in doing was making Tony smirk suggestively. 

“Did you just say the D word?” 

Rather than respond to the expression Steve forced the plate back into Tony's hands before he had the chance to throw it again. “Eat.”

Finally Tony did, but he made a huge fuss the whole time. But Steve didn’t complain too much, he was just happy he hadn’t had to threaten to force feed him again, or worse  _ call Nat.  _ The last thing they needed was him passing out from low blood sugar (well any of them really, but Peter had just had his BBQ sauce confiscated because he was swigging from the bottle, so they weren’t too concerned about him). He put up with the complaining and belly aching- though he was pretty sure the latter was just the man exaggerating. 

Though the last straw was when Tony started growling angrily into his cup. “I can’t even wash it down with a decent cup of coffee. I don’t see why they put this toilet water in our rations anyway.”

“Because you’d go through caffeine withdrawals and be even more of a baby than you’re being now.” Steve hummed cheerfully as though he was being helpful, despite the increasing urge to smother his boyfriend with a pillow. 

Tony ignored him as he took another sip, grimacing and shuddering slightly. “Ugh.” 

“Here, mix it with the coco powder.” Peter suggested as he grabbed the cup and started doing just that for him; ignoring his mentor's face. 

“Kid, I ain’t a mocha kind of guy, I don’t do sweet with my coffee-“

“Just try it.” Peter rolled his eyes as he shoved the mug back into his hands. 

Not looking convinced, Tony took a sip. Which only resulted in him looking even angrier. “Okay that is pretty good.”

“See!” Peter grinned triumphantly as he went to mix himself a version of the concoction too- maybe with just a dash more coco mix- but Tony shook his head at him. 

“Uh uh, no caffeine for you Spidey-Pants.” The man said as he confiscated the cup. 

Peter pouted, biting back a whine. “Why not?!”

_ “You know why not.”  _ Tony said pointedly, which made Peter blush. It went unsaid just why Peter wasn’t meant to be drinking a diuretic that close to bedtime, but Steve couldn’t help but feel a  _ little  _ disheartened by the fact that Peter actually listened. Of course he didn’t want the boy to suffer any ill effects from his liquid consumption, it just made things a little inconvenient for him. 

See, Steve had kind of been using Peter's frequent breaks to cover up for his own. Every time Peter and Tony slipped away under the guise of ‘checking the security system’ he used his own excuse of making rounds of the property; when really he was darting off to find his own discreet alley. So far the strategy had worked seamlessly, but now they were all growing tired, and it was almost time to start taking shifts to sleep, two of them were feeling decidedly nervous. 

Since there was just the one bed and the adults insisted, obviously, that Peter would be the first one to settle down to sleep. But the boy was reluctant, for obvious reasons. He didn’t want to wake up bursting to pee and have Steve see him in such a state; he doubted he’d be as lucky as he’d been in the hotel (well, not  _ lucky  _ since he’d still had to pee in a cup but lucky enough for Steve not to see him) and he didn’t want to chance it. Or worse, he might become visibly desperate in his sleep and then...not wake up. Then Steve would know what a baby he was and he just- he just couldn’t. He didn’t wanna sleep yet.

But his body was already fighting him on it. He almost dozed off sitting up a couple of times and eventually he did, slipping unconscious and leaning on Tony’s shoulder. 

“Come on bubs, go lay down, we can hold down the fort for a couple of hours.” Tony chuckled lightly, though his tone was nowhere near teasing. But Peter attempted to shake himself awake again, rather than heed his mentor’s instructions; so it didn’t take Tony long to catch on to his concerns. He quickly assured him that he’d keep a close eye on him, wake him up and  _ discreetly  _ get rid of Steve so he could go pee as soon as the situation arose. And despite wanting to argue still, Peter couldn’t fight sleep any longer, drifting off once more on Tony’s shoulder where the man transported him to the bed. 

“Bless him.” Steve chuckled when Peter wouldn’t let go of Tony, clinging to him in his sleep and whining when the man had to forcefully unwrap his arms from around his neck. 

“He needs more than blessing, he needs a damn-  _ ugh-  _ exorcist-  _ Petey let go.”  _ Tony grumbled quietly as he fought to get to de tangled from Peter’s limbs. Finally he got him to relinquish his grip, but not before the boy whimpered pitifully. “Jesus, is it too late to change his name to Koala-Man?” 

“Hmm, not sure on that one. Might have to check the patent office.” Steve giggled as Tony sat back down beside him. The darker haired man manned the visual controls while Steve spent his time filtering through local radio waves to pick up on any relevant chatter. 

It was rather boring, but a familiar routine, so they were more than content with the bouts of silence in between conversation; that flowed easily and cohesively despite their constant bickering throughout the day. They both knew why they were a little bit more argumentative than usual, especially for only day one; Tony was suffering from his caffeine addiction and Steve was- well they both knew what was up with Steve. 

Tony had kept as close an eye on him as he could but Peter had been giving him the runaround most of the afternoon (not that Steve had been complaining). He’d noticed that he still seemed uncomfortable, but at the very least his bathroom breaks weren’t nearly as frequent as they’d been the night before. As far as he could tell he’d avoided any disasters with his fly betraying him too, so that was good. 

However, it was inevitable that Steve had to answer about his earlier conversation with Bruce. 

“So?” Tony asked pointedly after a lull in their chatter. 

Steve felt his shoulders stiffen, though he tried to appear normal.  _ “So?” _

Tony shot him a look, rolling his eyes at his partners stubbornness and continuing; keeping the same tone as he knew it was difficult for him to speak openly about. “How’d it go with the good doctor?”

“Fine.” Steve said shortly and automatically. He didn’t mean to be so defensive he just-

He sighed, swallowing his pride before continuing. After all he couldn’t expect one thing from Tony and do another. “It was fine. Said the infection isn’t too advanced yet but I need to keep an eye on it.”

“So you do have an infection?” Tony asked for clarity's sake, even though they both knew the answer. 

Steve nodded sullenly as he fiddled with the radio in an attempt to distract himself from his growing discomfort. “Yeah. He’s, uh, he’s giving me antibiotics but we don’t have to pick them up until after the stake out. So long as it doesn’t take too long and I don’t get, you know, any worse.”

Tony nodded understandingly and bit his tongue against insisting they pick them up now. He trusted Bruce, if the doctor said he didn’t need them as an emergency then he believed him. After all it wasn’t like Steve could lie to him, he’d sent him an electronic sample after all. And he wasn’t exactly in the position to break protocall by leaving mid stake out to pop over to a local pharmacy. Not after last time. Nick wasn’t gonna let it slide again. So he hoped for Steve’s sake that it would be the short two day mission they’d been expecting. “You been keeping an eye on that temp then, blondie?”

Steve smiled softly as Tony brushed a hand through his hair, even though he rolled his eyes exasperatedly at the statement.  _ “Yes,  _ Tony, I have. Bruce wanted me to do the test strips every four hours anyway to check for changes.” 

“Hmm, good. Just let me know if-“

“I will.” Steve cut him off. 

Throughout the evening Tony ended up having to wake Peter up a few times when the boy started shifting. A few times he got it wrong and Peter stared angrily at him before rolling back over- but Tony was just trying to air on the side of caution. He was also trying to be discreet but Steve caught on rather quickly; and in the end Tony just explained it blankly. “It’s not necessary but, he gets nervous okay? He just needs a little extra help when he’s stressed, that’s all.”

Steve shrugged, having already surmised the situation after their conversation in the car. “I’m not judging.”

“I know.” And they left it at that. 

After Peter had his allotted four hours of nap time, there was a small debate on who should go next. Tony had insisted Steve go but the blond was reluctant given his own nocturnal issues- and Tony was far too cranky without his coffee so they reached an impasse. If impasse meant Tony curling up in the corner scowling until he eventually passed out. 

Peter wasn’t nervous at first, since he had no reason to be. He was comfortable with Steve, the man was nice company and he always told good stories. Besides he was hyper as all hell after waking up after four hours, not being used to having broken sleep the way the rest of them were. Tony had warned Steve that the boy would be hyperactive for a few hours before he crashed again; but hopefully by that time it would be the boys turn to sleep once again. 

Steve managed to keep the boy on task by giving him practical things to do (mainly teaching him how to use the computer..or at least try to) but eventually the boy drew quiet. Steve had assumed it was the crash he’d been warned about, so he wasn’t too concerned; unfortunately he didn’t notice what the actual problem was. 

Peter had to pee. Bad. He hadn’t been since the last time Tony woke him up and he was beginning to regret declining his offer before he retired himself. He debated telling Steve he was going to go and check something out, he knew the man wouldn’t question him because he didn’t understand the technical jargon he used; but what if Steve offered to go with him? No, no he’d stay with Tony, he wouldn’t leave the man behind alone. That wasn’t the problem. The more Peter thought about going off by himself..the more he didn’t want to. He felt stupid but..he was kind of used to the man going with him now. 

During the day Steve had been going on his rounds every two hours- which had been perfect because it was the right timing for Peter’s pee breaks. But this was the first time Tony wouldn’t be there to go with him. He knew was silly, he knew he shouldn’t be waking his mentor up to go pee with him and he felt bad but Tony  _ had  _ said to wake him up if he needed  _ anything  _ and Peter really really did need something. 

So as soon as Steve went for one of his ‘rounds’ Peter pounced on his mentor, vigorously shaking his arm. 

“Mr. Stark..Mr. Stark..” 

“Mm? What’s wrong?” Tony said groggily as he sat up. At first he’d assumed Peter was waking him up for a pee break but usually the child was far more shy about asking such a thing; so he was instantly on alert from the boys urgent tone. 

“Gotta go.” Peter muttered shortly, glancing to the door. He was watching to make sure Steve wasn’t about to come back up but once again Tony misread his body language. 

He sat up fully, looking to the doorway too for any possible intruders. “Why what’s happening? Where’s steve?”

“No Tony.” Peter sighed frustratedly as he squirmed. “I gotta go pee.”

“Oh, sorry buddy, come on let’s go.” Tony blinked, shaking the sleep away and standing up. He barely got to his feet when Peter was pulling him by the wrist, demanding him to pick up the pace as he raced ahead of him, disappearing down the stairs before the man had a chance to catch up. “Jesus Spidey, slow down, old bones here.” 

Peter paused in the stairwell looking up at his mentor with what Tony could only assume was a look of disdain. Thankfully in his desperate stupor he’d still remembered to put his mask on, but Tony didn’t need to see his face to hear the whine in his voice. “Mmmngh!” 

“Alright alright I’m coming.” Tony chuckled as he hopped down the steps, now fully awake thanks to the blistering cold. Why Peter would chose to pee outside instead of warming himself up in the suit in this weather, Tony had no idea. 

“Want me to hold the light?” Tony asked as they made it to the designated pee spot- at least he thought they did. It was entirely pitch black now and unlike Peter he didn’t have night vision. All he had was a standard issue flashlight, and while it did help illuminate their path, it’s beam didn’t span the whole space. It was still bone chillingly dark and this was coming from the self appointed prince of darkness himself. So he could understand why Peter didn’t wanna go by himself- in fact he was surprised that Steve had been managing it. 

Peter shuffled from foot to foot. “Uh- yeah but not like, on me, you know?”

Fortunately Tony did know and pointed the light away from the boy, at the ground so Peter could still see well enough to see where he was peeing. 

“Aren’t you gonna go?” Peter asked as he set about shifting his suit off his shoulders; shivering all the while. 

“What  _ and _ hold the flashlight? How many hands do you think I have?” Tony chortled sarcastically before he answered the pressing question. “I don’t need to.”

“Really? You didn’t go before you went to sleep.” Peter asked, seeming genuinely confused. 

Tony rolled his eyes. Maybe he ought to let the kid have the next couple hours of sleep he’d been allotted. “I’m fine bud, just finish up, before you freeze.” 

Peter was about to do just that when they were interrupted by a third, somewhat unexpected, voice. “Ton? Spidey?” 

Though they both instantly recognised it as Steve, Peter and Tony jumped; the latter quickly recovering and calling back up the stairs. “We’re down here, we’ll be up in a sec.”

Peter panicked thinking Steve was gonna come down after them and his stream stopped. It hadn’t been intentional, just the idea of an unfamiliar presence barging in on him had caused the muscles to contract painfully, sending pangs up his spine and making him shudder. Even once he realised it was Steve and the man wasn’t about to walk in on him, his bladder still refused to relax; when he bared down to try and force the last little bit out he was met with total resistance. All he was rewarded with was pain and the sensation of a half full aching bladder. He groaned a little and leaned against the wall. 

“You done?” Tony asked when Peter started to shimmy back into his suit. 

“Yeah..” 

“Are you sure?” Tony wasn’t convinced. Peter had still been going hard when Steve spooked him and even in the dim light he could see the boys gate was awkward. Peter didn’t answer. “Bud, you can finish, don’t hold it in that’s not healthy.”

“M’not doing it on purpose.” Peter muttered. He couldn’t do that if he wanted to, he didn’t possess the kegel strength and Tony knew that. 

Tony sighed gently. He was still half asleep and freezing his ass off, the last thing he wanted was to be standing out there in the freezing cold in nothing but jeans and a t-shirt. To top it all off Peter looked like he was about to cry and Tony wasn't sure he had the emotional capacity to comfort him. “I know, kid, I know you just gotta relax. Steve didn’t mean to scare you.” 

Peter tried to heed his mentor’s words. He tried to relax- as counterproductive as that sounded. And it was counterproductive, the harder he tried the more he locked up and all he succeeded in doing was making his abdominal muscles burn. It was no use, he couldn’t do it- and now he was painfully aware of how ridiculous the entire situation was. He’d dragged- literally dragged- his mentor out of bed to go to the bathroom with him and now he couldn’t even finish out the task. 

“You can go back to sleep Mr. Stark I’m sorry I woke you up.” Peter mumbled guiltily as he continued gripping his stomach. 

Tony frowned. He hadn’t meant to seem frustrated and he certainly hasn’t meant to make Peter feel bad for needing a ‘bathroom buddy’.

“Hey, hey, kid, don’t worry about that, let’s just get you sorted okay?” Tony said soothingly. Steve getting sick was bad enough but he  _ was not  _ gonna let Peter get a bladder infection again. Fuck no. “You’re getting yourself wound up, that’s not going to help. Think about what I was saying earlier- or imagine you’re at home.”

Peter tried to imagine that but he couldn’t. He needed a specific scenario like Tony had described earlier. The man seemed to get it. He hadn’t had to do it the other times except for the first pee break, but Peter was already more stressed than before. Stressed because it was nighttime and he’d had to wake his mentor up. Then the added stressed of being interrupted didnt blame him for being agitated. 

“Uhm..oh, right- remember that day the bus was late on the way to the tower and they were cleaning the lobby bathrooms? Jar wouldn’t let you go down to the lab since I wasn’t there so you had to wait until you got to the main floor. Then when you got to the living room bathroom Nat was in there so you had to wait?”

“Mmm get to the part where I can pee, please.” Peter whined, bouncing in place impatiently. 

“Sorry- so uh, you wouldn’t knock so you went and used the bathroom in your room instead, even though it was further away.”

Peter tried to follow along, mentally retrace his steps- but the story wasn’t detailed as the other one. Peter could remember the relief but he couldn’t quite touch it. Maybe it was because his bladder wasn’t full now so he wasn’t feeling the pressure, just the urgency- couldn’t Tony have picked another story? It wasn’t like he didn’t have a bunch to pick from. 

“It’s not working. It won’t come out.” Peter grumbled disappointedly. He once again went to shift his suit back on, content to deal with the irritating sensation; but Tony shook his head. 

“You can’t just not go, you’ll hurt yourself.” Tony said sternly. “Press on your stomach, kid.”

“That’ll hurt.” Peter whined.

“It might at first, just don’t press too hard.” Tony sighed, wiping a hand over his face tiredly. Next time he’d bring a bottle of water to shake or something. Or maybe he’d stay asleep and let Steve handle things. Okay maybe not that one. “Just relax kid.”

Finally the last few dribbles came out of him but they weren’t relieving at all. Rather than relishing in a freshly emptied bladder he was left with a hollow ache in his belly that almost felt like a bruise. 

Tony wrapped an arm around him as he sulked his way over to him. “You okay?”

He nodded shyly, clearly embarrassed and Tony didn’t press further. 

When the pair made their way back up to the safe room, Steve was mid yawn. He looked almost as embarrassed as Peter felt. “Oh- hi guys.”

“Bed, you.” Tony said authoritatively. Though Peter didn’t see the smile on his face as he tussled the blonde hair he could hear the teasing in his voice. Not that the fifteen year old understood the subtext of that tone but he didn’t need to. 

Steve shook his head. “No no I’m okay I’m-“

“Sleep, blondie.” Tony chuckled as he pushed the blond down and threw the blanket over him. Despite his strength Steve did little to stop him from doing so, simply pouting in response. 

“But it’s still your turn.”

  
“I ain’t tired anymore, a couple hours was enough for me, you sleep.” Tony gently. He wasn’t tired anymore and he wanted to stay awake so he could make sure Peter peed as and when he needed to for a couple hours, so he wouldn’t hold it too long and end up like Steve.  _ And  _ he had the added responsibility of making sure Steve didn’t end up wetting the only bed they had. Not that anyone would hold it against him (other than Steve himself) but they were in enough of an awkward position as it was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the lack of updates! Schools kicking my butt, hence the shorter chapter- which was meant to be you guys’ requests but I don’t know if I managed to squeeze any of them in there..I shall work on it !


	9. Chapter 9

People often forget that ADHD isn’t just being loud or hyper or cute and quirky. Peter wasn’t just funny and forgetful, he also suffered from extreme executive dysfunction, that only seemed to worsen after the bite. Now he was sat there with very little to do. Tony wasn’t nearly as chatty as Steve at the best of times, but now the man was too tired to even attempt conversation- and Peter himself was running on very little sleep which only worsened the issue. As a result He was stuck in his own thoughts in an attempt to entertain himself. He was currently drawing out complicated designs for a new redactor and he was so sucked into his train of thought the need to pee got pushed right to the back of his mind. It wasn’t until Tony nudged him that he even felt it. 

The man had noticed the extra fidgeting for a while before he intervened. He had no issue with reminding the kid but every now and then he tried to wait it out, wait for Peter to notice himself. When that obviously wasn’t about to happen he nudged the teen, at first only receiving a small noise of recognition. 

“Hm?”

Tony nodded to him wordlessly, before resuming fiddling with the touchpad on the monitors. Just as Peter went to open his mouth for a follow up question, he felt a twinge in his abdomen. 

_ “Oh.”  _ Peter murmured as he shifted in his seat. Well that came out of nowhere and hit him like a ton of bricks. How long had he been sitting there anyway- jesus almost three hours? He really needed to focus more, what if they were ambushed? What if-

Peter’s hypotheticals were cut off when he was once again reminded of his need to pee. The only ambush he’d missed was all the hot chocolate he’d drank. “Ooo god.”

Tony laughed through his nose and gestured for the boy to go. He stood up to accompany him, despite Steve being asleep he knew the blond would be safe, he’d armed his suit with the plans to leave it there to oversee him. The only issue was as Peter scarpered out of his seat to cross the room he accidentally tripped over Steve’s arm that was hanging over the edge of the bed; falling to his knees and making Steve sit up with a start. 

Before Steve could even ask what was happening Peter started uttering rushed apologies. “Oh gosh Steve I’m really sorry I didn’t mean to- are you okay? Did I hurt your arm? I’m really sorry-“

“You’re fine Peter, it’s okay.” Steve assured him as he stretched. He glanced at his watch and yawned. “It’s about time I get up anyway.”

“Yes it is, move blondie it’s my turn for a nap.” Tony muttered huffily. Though he was anxious to reclaim his allotted sleeping time he was also trying to cover up for the anxious pee dancing Peter was doing in the corner. He glanced at the boy, trying to encourage him to run on ahead but Peter shook his head. The boy hadn’t accounted for Steve to be awake during his mad dash and that part of the situation threw him for a loop. And as much as he appreciated Tony covering for him he kind of needed the man’s help, you know,  _ flashlight duty _ . 

But thankfully Steve seemed to catch on rather quickly, despite being half asleep. And Tony noticed that he was rather bouncy on his feet too. “I’ll uh, I’ll just do a quick round then I’ll-“

“Just go piss Steve.” Tony rolled his eyes, trying to feign indifference but internally he was concerned for both of them now. ‘ _ So my kid can go.’ _

But Peter couldn’t. When he tripped it was already too late; the force of his knees hitting the cement had immediately made him leak. He was just trying to hold it together long enough for Steve to leave before he let go completely. 

And Steve went to do just that but he realised Peter looked a bit off. He suddenly forgot about his own need when he thought Peter might have hurt himself when he tripped. “Are you alright-“

“Steve just go!” Tony snapped and he got the hint, scurrying off. 

No sooner than Steve dashed from the room Peter crouched down with his back against the wall and covered his face. 

Tony sighed and wiped a hand over his eyes. Though it wasn’t his fault he couldn’t help but feel a tiny bit responsible for not having ushered Peter to the alley earlier. Of course he knew the kid was old enough to know his own body but he was tired, and for a while Tony was pretty sure he’d either spaced out or nodded off, it wasn’t his fault he didn’t realise he had to go. He clapped a hand on Peter’s shoulder once he was sure that he’d..finished up, but still he didn’t uncover his face. 

“It’s okay buddy. It’s alright, you did your best.” Tony muttered quietly, trying to console him but it was no use. The kid continued to sit there with his hands covering his face until Tony got the hint and left him be. He then pulled his mask on so he didn’t have to continue hiding his expression and sat sullenly in one corner. Even when Steve reappeared and the two men started talking, trying to ease the tension, Peter made a concerted effort not to get involved. 

He was furious with himself for not just going before he got too desperate to walk. Sure he hadn’t noticed but he  _ should have-  _ it wasn’t like he was busy doing something else, he was just stuck in his own head. The least his brain could’ve done is kept him present in his body. He was also conscious of the fact he’d used the suit  _ again.  _ He really didn’t want using the suit to become a habit, especially not one of convenience. But Tony was right, it being dark and freezing and the fact he had to take his suit almost all the way off- it wasn’t practical. Still that didn’t mean he wanted to keep having accidents. 

But he was pretty sure Steve had noticed. And it was mortifying. Even after their shared experiences in the car Peter was distraught at the idea of one of his childhood heroes thinking he had an ongoing problem controlling his bladder- which he couldn’t even deny at this point. It had never been  _ that  _ bad before but clearly he  _ did  _ have a problem, and he felt utterly pathetic. He couldn’t even use his usual excuses that May and Tony made for him when he wet the bed occasionally; ‘oh it’s a new place,’ ‘you’re just nervous,’ ‘your body clock is confused,’- he wasn’t even asleep. He was just stupid. 

Peter continued to ruminate silently in the corner even once the conversation between the adults died down. As much as Tony was trying to stay awake for his companions sake, he couldn’t for much longer. The coffee withdrawal and the broken sleep were catching up to him. 

“Mm, two hours. Two hours then it’s your turn again, okay, kid?” Tony muttered after he caught his eyes fluttering shut on him yet again. He couldn’t help but feel disappointed in himself. He was more than used to all nighters wasn’t sure why that was so impossible now, especially when his kid was upset. 

But Steve and Peter knew. He didn’t have access to an ungodly amount of coffee he was having to pace himself. Even though he’d complained about the taste it hadn’t stopped him drinking three more cups in an effort to stay conscious, but it just wasn’t cutting it and his eyelids were too heavy. 

Once Tony had drifted off, the newfound silence was unbearable- at least it was for Steve. Against his better judgement he found himself almost instantly trying to talk to the kid. He knew Peter probably just wanted to be left alone but he couldn’t bring himself to ignore him. “Hey sport, are you sure you’re okay?” 

“M’fine captain Rogers.”

Steve cringed at the formality, but more so at the disheartened tone. 

He let the silence linger for just a moment more before he bit the bullet and started trying again. He knew it was awkward and uncomfortable as he’d been on the other side plenty of times- but that made him even more determined to say something. Having been in that situation himself he knew ignoring it just built up unwanted tension, and he at the very least wanted to be of some comfort. Without Tony intervening and insisting on pretending nothing had happened maybe he’d be able to do that. 

“You know..you really don’t have to be embarrassed with that sort of thing around me. I know it’s easier said than done but..” Steve started quietly. He received little response other than Peter shifting slightly against the wall he was leaning on. Being unable to see the teens face made the speech all the more intimidating as he couldn’t see what sort of reaction he was getting; but Steve pressed on, hoping that Peter wasn’t scowling at him. “I understand. Truly. Having a body that works a lot quicker than everyone else can be really... _ inconvenient  _ sometimes.” 

Peter had already caught on to the fact that Steve had a similar problem to him but he hadn’t expected him to ever bring it up, let alone to make him feel better. Still he thought Steve was purely exaggerating to do just that. “But it’s not just sometimes, it’s all the time.”

“I know it feels that way.” Steve sighed gently, a sympathetic smile on his face. “You know, when I was first getting used to my body the way it is now, I was passing out and wetting myself daily.”

“Really?”

“Yeah.” Steve swallowed, suddenly uncomfortable but he didn’t want to back out of the conversation now. Not when it seemed he’d struck a chord with the boy. As much as it was making his cheeks flare, if his embarrassment spared Peter some of his it was worth it. “Even before the serum I’d never been..well I never had the biggest bladder but- after the serum it took a long time to get to know my body. It took a while to know when I could put off going to the bathroom, or how long I could go without eating, longer than I’d like to admit- and trust me when I say I pushed my luck more than a few times. Now I can manage it most of the time, you’ve just gotta find that healthy medium. But it can take a while, buddy.”

“I..I kinda got it down. When I’m at home at least, w-when I’ve got my routine, you know?” Peter mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in his seat but he turned to face Steve now. “But I’m not used to it on missions and stuff yet- and I just- I can’t believe this is happening in front of..well you.”

“Am I that scary?” Steve chuckled softly, trying his best to seem the exact opposite. The whole point of this trip was to try and make Peter more comfortable around him-  _ great idea Tony, couldn’t they have just gone to Disney World or something? _

“Not scary.” Peter shook his head, pausing for a moment before attempting to clarify. “I look up to you a lot and..well to be honest this whole trip has been mortifying.” 

The pair both chuckled lightly, Peter was honestly thankfully him breaking the tension. Finally the boy slipped off his mask again and ran a hand through his hair.

“Even though you’ve been super cool about it- I-I knew you wouldn’t be mean it’s just- being that-“ Peter paused again, knowing he had to pick his words carefully. Steve wasn’t Tony but he was pretty sure he’d still get in trouble for calling himself pathetic. “I don’t know-  _ vulnerable  _ in front of a literal superhero is- it’s awful.”

“I know how you feel Peter, really I do.” Steve sighed sadly at the boy's expression. “You’re not the only one. It’s happened to all of us at one point or another. In fact it happened to me in front of Thor on our  _ first _ mission alone together.” 

“Oh jeez.” Peter winced sympathetically. Though he knew from experience Thor was certainly not the worst person for an accident to happen in front of, he couldn’t help but cringe. “What happened?”

“Heh, well..”

*****

“Steven are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” He wasn’t fine. He hadn’t been fine for the past forty five minutes- but how could he say that? Even if he did admit what was wrong, what did he expect Thor to do about it? Absolutely nothing. There was nothing either of them could do but sit and wait and try not to use up their remaining oxygen- which they were already both doing. Steve by hyperventilating and Thor through his incessant talking. 

The long haired blond squinted and moved closer to Steve, as if that was possible in the already suffocatingly small space. “You look as though you’ve become ill?” 

“I’m not sick Thor, I’m okay.” Steve said breathily, trying to keep his voice calm and steady. But that was near impossible.

“Steven, you’re shaking my friend.” Thor said softly, as quietly as Steve had ever heard the man speak. He sounded genuinely concerned, which was a stark contrast to his usual bubbly self; which in turn only made Steve feel even more guilty for worrying him unnecessarily. “I want you to be confident in confiding me, we are teammates now after all.”

Steve intended to respond to that heartfelt comment, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t get over the idea of admitting it outloud and the words reverberating around the small rock faced cavern they’d found themselves trapped in. He couldn’t bear to hear the juvenile complaint, or to hear Thor’s reaction. What he was even more ashamed of was his genuine  _ fear  _ of said reaction- here he was, a full grown adult worried about another adult making fun of him as though he was a child in a schoolyard. As if the entire situation didn’t make him feel pathetic enough. 

He should just say it to get it out of the way. Thor deserved a fair warning after all because Steve was pretty certain that he wasn’t going to make it out of this one. He didn’t have Bucky or Sam to sneak him out or cover for him when the inevitable happened. He knew this would happen some day but he’d hoped it wouldn’t happen so soon- his  _ first  _ mission with the other man. What a way to set the tone. The least he could do was face the situation like a man, surely?

Apparently not. The words stayed stuck in his throatk as he continued to try and explain away his situation. And Thor continued to try and decipher it.

“Are you not comfortable with small spaces? I can try and give you room if you need but I’m afraid there’s only so far I can go.” Thor muttered worriedly, already trying to press himself further into the wall in an attempt to give Steve more room. 

Steve shifted in his seat uncomfortably. “No it’s- well yeah I’m not a fan but it’s- it’s not that.”

Suddenly Thor’s expression changed to a look of realisation, before it crumpled into sympathy. “Oh. Do you need to pass water?”

Steve cringed at the question and the way it was phrased, drawing his knees up closer to his chest in an attempt to disappear. “I’m fine Thor really.” 

“Hmm.” Thor hummed, surprisingly willing to drop the subject momentarily. Steve couldn’t quite read his expression either or predict how the god was reacting to the news. For a moment he convinced himself Thor was just trying not to laugh at him, but the god shook his head; his tone softened considerably as he spoke at an almost normal audible level as opposed to his usual shouting. “Well it’s no bother if you need to relieve yourself. I’ll look away if that’s the problem.”

“I- I can’t do that.” Steve stammered quickly, his bladder pounding with anticipation, apparently agreeing with the idea. Well he certainly  _ did not _ . There was no way he could do that, the only person he could pee in front of was Bucky and that was only in extremely different circumstances. “Can we please not talk about it?”

“Fine fine.” Thor said as he held his hands up defensively. True to his word he didn’t mention it again for a while, only after twenty minutes of Steve walking back and forth did he speak again. “As much as I feel for your plight, all of your pacing is starting to give me motion sickness.”

“Sorry.” Steve muttered before he sat back down, though he immediately regretted it. The crouched deposition did nothing to silence his bladder and at least whilst pacing he could somewhat surreptitiously tense his thighs or twist his legs. When he was sitting his squirming was painfully obvious. 

But apparently it was painfully obvious anyway. “Steven, are you going to make it out of here?” 

The question being asked so straightforwardly made it even more impossible for Steve to answer. “I don’t..” 

Once Steve trailed off Thor offered a small sympathetic smile and a very good point. “We have been in here for rather a long time, my friend, I’m sure no one would judge you should you lose control.” 

“Have you met Tony?” Steve laughed humorlessly- and Nat and Clint for that matter. He’d spent a rather limited amount of time with all three of them but they didn’t seem like the type to let go of such a golden opportunity to mock him. Especially Tony. He could just imagine the brunette’s face, that stupid sarcastic  _ unbearably attractive face-  _ ugh, not  _ now.  _

“Nonsense. I have indeed met Anthony and I happen to know he’s rather fond of you- despite his comments.” Thor said firmly, shaking his head disapprovingly which made Steve feel rather bashful in the moment. But then Thor’s expression softened and he clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “Besides, I wouldn’t allow anything of the sort. I have a younger brother you know. I would not stand for that kind of teasing.”

“Thank you, Thor.” Steve sniffled quietly. 

After a while the pair drew silent again, Thor doing his best to stay still and Steve trying but failing to do the same. Every small movement was excruciating but necessary; it hurt to move due to his painfully full bladder but if he didn’t he could feel all the urine inside him pushing to get out. Even if it was inevitable he couldn’t just give up. All he had to do was wait, just a little longer, just a  _ little longer.  _

God how long and they been down here anyway- why hadn’t they found them yet?! Had the fight finished or were they still under attack- where they even aware that Steve and Thor were missing? Did they have time to do anything about it? The added panic of not knowing whether or not their companions had even started looking for them yet only made his desperation worse. 

Thor however remained much more hopeful, both about their rescue and his friends ability to hold on until then. He stood up suddenly, accidentally jostling Steve as he craned his neck towards the ceiling. “Good news my friend! I can hear movement on the other side of the-“

Steve groaned. He wouldn't make it out of there, he already knew that. He was more than familiar with the feeling he got before his bladder was about to give out thanks to literal years of being in the field. He already couldn't unclench his thighs in fear of leaking. Even if somehow their friends miraculously got them out that very instant, he’d be caught in this desperate state and he wasn’t sure what was worse. 

But he still tried to hold it. The solid rock settled in his abdomen was burning intensely but he still tried. Even when he could feel bursts leaking out into his suit he still tried. He only gave up once he saw the drips skidding down the edge of the rock he was perched on- and then the flood gates opened, rather audibly, so it wasn’t long until Thor noticed. 

“Oh dear.” The god hummed quietly. 

“Please don’t look at me.” Steve cried, trying and failing to keep his voice from breaking. 

Apparently hearing his friend's voice break put Thor into complete big brother overload as he quickly swooped in to give Steve his first Thor-Bear-Hug ever. “Steven, Steven don’t- don’t worry about this. It’s nothing a mere change of clothing can’t solve- you don’t need to get yourself in a state.” 

But Steve couldn’t comprehend the kind words nor the physical affection, he couldn’t look at him. “I can’t believe this is happening.” 

“It’s not a problem. I promise you much worse things could have happened- no one will notice!” Thor tried again but Steve continued sobbing quietly with his head in his hands. 

“I’m pathetic.”

“You are not.” Thor said firmly, though his tone only seemed to upset Steve further. The god was at a complete loss as of what to do and began pleading with him to stop crying. “Oh Steven please. Please don’t get upset so, it wasn’t your fault my friend- blame Natasha for getting us stuck here in the first place!” With Steve still practically unresponsive other than berating himself Thor had one last trick up his sleeve. “Would it make you feel better if I did it also?”

That got Steve’s attention. The soldier sniffled and finally looked at the other man. “What? No! Why would that make me feel better?”

“Well then you wouldn’t be on your own. The others cannot tease you if we both succumb to Mother Nature now can they? And if they do surely it won’t be nearly as harmful if I share the burden.” Thor shrugged as if the whole thing made perfect sense and wasn’t absolutely insane. “Besides, we have been down here for rather a long time, and though my need is not as great as yours I’ve been uncomfortable for a while myself.”

Steve sat up further, wiping his face. “Thor, no, you seriously do not have to do that.”

“I know. But unfortunately once the process has been set in motion it’s rather difficult to stop.” Thor said, pulling a slightly off expression that Steve couldn’t place. He couldn’t place it until he heard a small hissing sound that was, as he watched incredulously as Thor’s dark blue pants got slightly darker and began glistening. Once he had seemingly finished the god squirmed slightly and grimaced. “I’m not sure I’m a fan of that sensation, I must say, best not to make a habit of it.” 

“Oh my god.” 

“Ah well. I’ve been covered in far worse substances.” Thor chuckled as he shrugged and sat back down, leaning back and sighing as he made himself comfortable. “At least that annoying pressure is gone.”

Steve could do little but stare at him incredulously and periodically laugh at the pure absurdity of the situation. He was still trying to determine whether or not this was really happening or if he was having a mother one of those waking nightmares. While he was debating whether or not he should thank him or something the pair were interrupted by a slight cracking sound. They both stood up, ready to deal with an impending attack or perhaps the roof caving in as the walls of the small cave began to shake. 

Eventually the ceiling did cave in, though it was far more controlled than one would expect of an avalanche. The sounds of machinery became clear and streaks of light began to pierce through between the rubble. Then the drilling sounds stopped and muffled voices could be heard from above- the loudest one warning them to shield their eyes. 

“There you fuckers are! And you’re still alive- score!” A familiar voice rang out. Once the deafening sound of rocks hitting rocks stopped and the machinery died down Steve could recognise it as Clint. At first the man had sounded cheery as though he was laughing at the pair of hearted for getting stuck in such a stupid situation, but as he jumped out of the drill his tone turned serious. “Oh shit, are you guys okay?”

Thor smiled, looking completely unphased. “Ever so relieved to see you.”

“Yeah I can uh, see that.” Clint chuckled before smiling sympathetically. He clapped a hand on Steve’s shoulder as he seemed to be the more distraught of the pair before he climbed back in, presumably to get more supplies. “We’ll get you outta here in two minutes, hold on guys.”

“It’s a little late for that.” Thor laughed. Once Clint was out of earshot Thor removed his cloak and passed it to Steve, motioning for the man to wrap it around himself. “Here my friend.”

“No Thor I don’t want to ruin it.” Steve tried to decline the offer but Thor was rather insistent, already draping the fabric around him to cover up the stain. 

“Nonsense, you need it more than I. What are teammates for, hm?” Thor shrugged his shoulders, holding out a hand to help Steve up. Once the other man was standing he wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “Now come along, I’m ravenous.”

*****

Peter grinned at the story. “Yeah that..sounds like Thor.”

“I’d only met him a handful of times before that. Pretty sure we were best friends from then on.” Steve laughed fondly despite the blush on his cheeks. “Of course it was a fight to get him to stop calling us ‘pee brothers’ but once he quit that-“

Peter was full on laughing now which made Steve feel ten times better knowing he’d actually managed to cheer the kid up without his partner's input. 

“So see? You don’t have to worry around me. Now I don’t expect you to start announcing it or telling me- but if you need me to step away for a while, all you have to do is nod okay? Or don’t fight Tony he goes to do it for you.”

Peter offered a small shy smile in response, but nodded. “Thanks Steve.” 

“Any time sport.” Steve sighed. “Last thing you want is to get a bladder infection on a mission like this.”

“Is that what's happening to you?” Peter asked before he realised what had slipped out of his mouth. Tony had specifically warned him not to say anything to Steve. “Sorry I’ll shut up.”

Steve’s blush deepened though he continued to smile. He knew he kind of owed it to Peter to be more honest about his own issues if he expected the boy to open up to him. “It’s okay I know it was pretty obvious.”

“No no! It wasn’t. I mean, kinda when I realised but-“ Peter rambled before trying to backtrack yet again. “That’s what I meant when I said you smell different.”

Steve blushed. Not only did he not know Peter had said that he was now concerned about what he smelled like exactly. Did that mean he smelled like pee- great that was really a thought he wanted. 

Sensing where Steve’s mind was going Peter attempted to explain. “I can smell when someone’s sick, it’s weird. Like I can tell when May hasn’t taken her medication- and remember could tell when Nat had appendicitis before she did?”

Steve did remember that actually. Peter had been continually harassing the spy all day before she eventually collapsed and turned out the kid was right. She had been seriously ill but she just had a far better facade than her male counterparts. Steve himself had a keen sense of smell too but nothing akin to Peter’s. “Oh yeah..So what does being sick smell like exactly?”

“I don’t know. People just smell  _ different.”  _ Peter mused, trying to find the right word. “Sweeter I guess. I don’t know, I know it’s weird..”

Steve nodded in agreement before he shrugged. “It might be weird but it may come in handy. So do I still smell sick..?”

Peter hummed thoughtfully for a moment before eyeing Steve up and down. “Hmm. Not as bad. But you’re still not right are you?” 

“Well..” Steve chuckled awkwardly. “I feel  _ better.  _ Maybe not good, but, you know, better. Think you could maybe lie to Tony about that for me?”

“Lie to Tony about what?” 

Steve and Peter both jumped, the latter letting out a small ‘eep’ as he refrained from sticking himself to the wall. 

“Nothing!” Steve said quickly as Tony sat up. 

The brunette shook his head, though he wanted to inquire more he didn’t have the energy. Instead he snatched the pillow Peter was using as a backrest against the wall and put it over his ears before laying back down. “Assholes.” 


End file.
